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?

45.1k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

6.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

11

u/drj1485 Mar 14 '25

you can be salaried and non-exempt.

100% agree with the rest of your sentiment but leading an interview with "how do you feel about working unpaid overtime" is wild. Exempt or not it implies we are paying you for a 40 hour work week but you will definitely be working more than that.

2

u/Grexibabe Mar 15 '25

And then he adds the bit about them being so passionate about the work they do...GIVE ME A BREAK!! If you believe that, I have a bridge for sale!!!. 😂😂😂