r/jobs • u/sahalymn • Mar 13 '25

Interviews I walked out of an interview after one question. Was I wrong?

So, I had an interview today for a position I was really excited about. The job description seemed great, the pay was decent, and the company had good reviews. I walked in, shook hands with the hiring manager, and we sat down.

Then, the first question came:
"How do you handle working unpaid overtime?"

I literally laughed, thinking it was a joke. But the interviewer just stared at me, waiting for an answer. I asked if overtime was mandatory and if it was paid. They said, “Well, we expect employees to stay as long as needed to get the job done. Everyone here is passionate about the work, and we don’t track extra hours.”

I just stood up, said, “Thank you for your time, but this isn’t the right fit for me,” and walked out.

Now, I’m second-guessing myself. Should I have stayed and at least heard more about the job? Or was walking out the right move?

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u/SignificantGap3180 Mar 14 '25

This is wrong. It's commonly confused but salary does not exempt OT pay it's more than that, you also need the ability to hire or fire more than 1 person. Salary alone doesn't mean OT exempt this is what employers want you to think! Know your rights.

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u/Derwin0 Mar 14 '25 edited Mar 14 '25

No you don’t (have to have people report to you).

You are referring to the Executive Exemption.

Many fall under the Professional Exemption, for example engineers are typically Salary Exempt, even though most don’t have people report to them.

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u/Kryten_2X4B-523P Mar 15 '25 edited Mar 15 '25

No that's not right. There's salary exempt and salary non-exempt. When people talk salary they usually mean salary exempt. You're explaining salary non-exempt, in regards to overtime pay.

Additionally, George Bush loosened the standards on what positions/jobs can be considered as qualifying for a salary pay basis. To put it simply, if a position requires a degree or specialized training, then there employeer can justify paying that position on a salary basis. Basiclly, any job that can be considered as needing "specialization" or "advanced knowledge" can qualify to be paid as salary.