You nailed the interview. The hiring manager smiled. You left feeling confident.
Then: rejection. Or worse, ghosting.
Here's what nobody tells you: sometimes the rejection has nothing to do with you. Sometimes it's completely insane.
I've been hiring (and getting hired) for 20+ years. These rejection reasons are all real. Some happened to me. Some happened to candidates I know. All of them will make you question humanity.
Buckle up.
1. "He Runs Ultra-Marathons, So He'd Be Too Focused On Running"
A hiring manager rejected a candidate because he mentioned running ultra-marathons.
The reason? "He's too focused on running to give 100% to work."
This guy literally runs 50+ miles at a time. That shows discipline, resilience, mental toughness. Perfect sales traits.
But apparently hobbies = distraction.
Plot twist: The same manager hired someone who golfed every weekend. Because golf is "networking" but running is suspicious.
The takeaway: Hiring managers project their own weird biases. You can't control it.
2. "She Wore Adidas Sambas"
Clean, stylish Adidas Sambas. Professional outfit. Still rejected.
Reason? "Shoes aren't professional enough."
Meanwhile, men show up in similar trainers all the time. No problem.
Other shoe-related rejections I've seen:
- Too expensive ("won't relate to factory workers")
- Too cheap ("doesn't take this seriously")
- Wrong color ("black with navy is a crime")
The takeaway: Shoe judgment is real, inconsistent, and often sexist. You can't win.
3. "He Didn't Follow Up With Everyone Via Email"
This one I agree with.
The candidate emailed the hiring manager but ignored everyone else on the panel.
In sales, this shows poor stakeholder management. You just signaled you'd do the same thing with prospects.
The takeaway: Always send individual follow-ups to everyone. Get their cards. This one mistake kills offers.
4. "Her Name Would Be Too Hard To Pronounce"
Two employers admitted years later: they rejected someone because her name was "difficult to pronounce and spell."
They didn't want "the hassle."
Multiple recruiters told her to adopt a "professional name" (translation: white-sounding name).
She did. It worked. She started getting interviews.
The takeaway: Bias is real at every stage. Knowing this exists helps you understand when rejection isn't about merit.
5. "You're Too Available (Because You Don't Have a Job)"
The logic: "If you don't have a job, something must be wrong with you."
Same candidate got another interview with 30 minutes notice. They showed up.
Feedback? "You came on short notice, which means you're unemployed. We went with someone else."
Rejected for being unemployed. Then rejected for being available.
The takeaway: Some hiring managers have broken logic. There's nothing you can do. Keep moving.
6. "You Seemed Too Confident"
Hiring manager rejected someone for being "too confident."
For a sales role.
Confidence is literally the job requirement. It's like rejecting a chef for knowing how to cook.
I've also seen people rejected for not being confident enough. The acceptable range is impossibly narrow.
The takeaway: You can't control how your personality lands. Be yourself. If that's "too" something, they're not the right fit.
7. "He Failed The Interview Before It Started"
Candidate shows up on time. Waits 45 minutes. Gets called upstairs.
Hiring manager: "You failed."
Candidate: "When did the interview start?"
Manager: "The moment you walked in. You sat quietly instead of networking with the sales team. Test failed."
Nobody told him this was being evaluated. Mind-reading: required.
The takeaway: Some interviewers play secret tests. Treat every interaction like it's being watched. Because it might be.
8. "You Went To a Private School, So You'd Be Bored"
Candidate passed everything: interviews, HR test, medical exam. Turned down other offers. Had the job.
Then rejected.
Reason? Studied at a private school. Hiring manager worried they'd "be bored."
Pure class bias dressed up as "culture fit."
The takeaway: Sometimes people reject you based on their own insecurities about your background. Keep moving.
9. "The Job Was Already Promised To Someone Else"
Great interview. Then rejected for "not enough experience" despite meeting every requirement.
Months later, an employee admitted the truth: the job was always going to the director's friend. The whole process was a legal formality.
The candidate cried. Then applied to the sister company. Got the same job. Double the salary.
The takeaway: Sometimes positions are already filled. It's not about you. Better opportunities exist.
10. "You Gave Us A Bad Vibe"
Excellent resume. Great interview. Clearly qualified. Perfect fit.
Rejected because two people said he gave them "a bad vibe."
No specifics. No feedback. Just vibes.
The takeaway: You can't optimize for subjective gut feelings. This is frustrating and common.
Here's The Truth
Most rejections are not about you.
Yes, prepare. Yes, follow best practices. Yes, bring your A-game.
But even when you do everything right, you might lose because:
- Someone has irrational biases about your hobbies
- Your shoes were the "wrong" brand
- The job was already filled
- Your name is hard to pronounce
- You seemed too confident or not confident enough
- Bad vibes
Hiring is imperfect because humans are imperfect. Great candidates get rejected for terrible reasons all the time.
What You Can Control
Your prep: Research the company. Practice answers. Be ready.
Your follow-up: Email everyone who interviewed you. Individually. Within 24 hours.
Your mindset: Each interview is practice. Learn and improve.
Your persistence: Keep going. Bad rejections save you from bad employers.
Your story: Refine your approach with each experience.
Why We Built meritt. Differently
We created meritt. specifically to eliminate these ridiculous rejections.
We assess what actually matters: curiosity, coachability, grit, and communication.
Not your shoes. Not your hobbies. Not your "vibes."
Our AI psychometric testing measures real sales traits. Every candidate gets the same structured evaluation. No arbitrary judgments. No secret tests.
And every candidate gets real feedback within 48 hours. No ghosting. No generic rejections.
Because if you're going to lose, it should be for real reasons you can improve, not because someone didn't like your trainers.
Have your own crazy rejection story? Share it with us. We're collecting them. Because sometimes you just need to laugh at the madness.
And remember: the right opportunity is coming. Keep going.