A job candidate's final interview question took an unexpected turn when a simple verbal mix-up led to an awkward spiral that may have cost her the position.
The incident, shared in a post on Reddit this week, has left thousands of users amused -- and some deeply sympathetic.
The 29-year-old woman recounted how she had breezed through a job interview, receiving praise from the hiring team and even an invitation for a paid trial shift.
But everything changed when the panel threw in a lighthearted final question: Who would you put on your Mount Rushmore?
The original poster (OP) said she had prepared for it, confidently listing three names that resonated with the interviewers. Her fourth choice, however, was Paul Hollywood, the judge from "The Great British Bake Off."
Unlike the previous names, this one drew blank stares from the panel. Surprised that they didn't know the celebrity baker, she attempted to explain her admiration by mentioning that she had watched his, "YouTube Tutorials."
That was where things unraveled.
Instead of saying "YouTube Tutorials," the words "YouTube Torte Tuli-Os" came out. Thinking it was just a slip, she tried again -- only to repeat the same mistake.
With each failed attempt, her frustration grew. She kept saying the phrase, trying harder each time to correct herself, but the wrong words continued spilling out. What started as an innocent mispronunciation turned into a two-minute ordeal.
The room fell into an awkward silence until one of the interviewers finally stepped in and calmly said, "YouTube Tutorials," offering her a way out.
But by that point, she had become too fixated on proving she could say it correctly. She attempted one last time before giving up and muttering "YouTube Videos" instead.
The shift in tone was immediate. What had been a promising interview ended abruptly. What was once an invitation to a paid trial shift turned into radio silence.
The candidate never heard back from the company.
She later reflected on the situation with humor, admitting that her pride got the better of her.
"Who knows what could've been if I hadn't picked Paul Hollywood as my fourth person on my Mount Rushmore?" she joked in her post.
Many Reddit users couldn't help but be amused by the mishap. "I'm sorry for you, but I laughed reading this," one person commented.
"To imagine someone trying to say tutorials for two minutes is killing me."
Others shared their own struggles with certain words in high-pressure situations. One user confessed, "New interview fear unlocked; I'm crying-laughing [laugh out loud].
"I hope sharing this makes you feel better. I can never work in a hospital because I cannot for the life of me say ambulance.
"I must have sounded it out wrong as a child, and it stuck. I now only refer to an ambulance as, 'Emergency medical vehicle'."
While the situation may seem extreme, job interview blunders are far from rare. A Newsweek article about common mistakes warns against letting small errors snowball into distractions that affect the overall impression.
Experts recommend staying composed when making minor mistakes and moving on instead of fixating on the error.
For those who find themselves in an embarrassing interview moment, Mighty Travels advises taking a deep breath and acknowledging the slip-up without dwelling on it.
The OP mentioned in the discussion that the hiring managers told her they would ask their Mount Rushmore question when scheduling the interview.
"They thought it would be a good, 'Get to know you", question and I guess it worked, LOL."
Newsweek has contacted mtvaot for comment via Reddit.
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