A Reddit post detailing a job rejection story of a Data Engineer has gone viral, highlighting the frustrating consequences of a seemingly minor mistake.

A Reddit user shared his experience after losing the work opportunity at the company, only described as having a name resembling "quantity", by ranting on social media. The user had successfully cleared the first-round interview for a Data Engineer role, but his second-round interview ended in disappointment due to a "simple oversight". He revealed forgetting to place a comma between two column names while writing a SQL query in Notepad.

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Rejected, grilled for 20 mins over missing comma

Noting that programming and other technical codes can go wrong with even a single full stop or comma, the company rejected the candidate and grilled him for minutes together.

Despite answering all other questions correctly, the job seeker was targeted by the interviewer for 20 minutes over the error, with the interviewer accusing him of relying too heavily on AI tools and integrated development environments (IDEs). The interviewer's dismissal of the candidate's experience in handling complex analytical queries and building ETL pipelines at a leading customer data platform (CDP) left the Reddit user feeling frustrated and rejected.

"I forgot a comma...cost me the job"

"I answered everything correctly—except I forgot a comma between two column names while writing a SQL query in Notepad", the user wrote on Reddit. "I know it was a simple oversight, not a lack of knowledge, but it still cost me the job," he added.

Internet reacts

The post quickly gained traction, with many netizens commenting on this job rejection.

One user pointed out, "They want silly reasons to reject you, just move on—you saved yourself from unnecessary stress." Another wrote, "Imagine dealing with that kind of mindset if you had joined. Count your lucky stars."

The post has sparked discussions about the sometimes harsh realities of job interviews and the pressure candidates face over trivial errors. Notably, sharing the post online, the Redditor called the job market a "Joke".