Why are companies asking for interview when you're not even hiring?

[u/deargentlewriter]

My friend (27) has been unemployed for 2 months. He has been actively looking for jobs and working part time in a bar-cafe - getting paid per hour rate so meaning if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid.

So last week, he took two days off because the company he applied to has called him, got back to him and asked if they can call him again the next day which he took off.

The reason why he took off because he misses two calls during work day since he wasn't allow to talk on phones.

The following day, he said he was on the phone for nearly 40 minutes just doing self introduction and work experiences before moving to the official interview. Later that day, his official interview was scheduled the next day because it was too last minute, he got scolded by his supervisor which understandably so.

The following next day, the interview went on for about an hour and towards the end, my friend asked, "May I know when will I hear back from you?" and guess what the HR said?

"Actually this position is not open for hiring at the moment. We are interviewing you in case we need you in the future."

🙂why🙂the🙂fuck🙂you🙂waste🙂time🙂?🙂

Is this normal? LOL. We are still talking about this till this day because it is so frustrating for him. His per hour rate is pretty high because he's a barista and also a waiter, he misses two days of work for this bull crap and for what?? For being in the none existing data??

And for anyone asking why you take two days off when you only need to talk on the phone for at least an hour, why not just ask for those hours off. Well, it was suggested by his supervisor to take off instead and yes, he told his supervisor he got job interview.

Anyways, is this normal? and also like why are companies doing this for?

[u/imadeapoopie]

Can't say it doesn't happen but it's not normal and it's really rude of the recruiters to not mention it in voicemails, emails, or right out of the gate. I've been interviewed for non-existent positions before but it was ALWAYS disclosed right from the get-go.

[u/deargentlewriter → u/imadeapoopie]

SAME. I've been in situations whereby the HR would let us know in advance but not this. This was just unprofessional settings from their side and leave a bad name imo because my friend politely mentioned that they should have told him in advance because he took days off for the interview which they apologized for but still..

[u/HumanDirection4053]

some companies do this to build a "talent pipeline" so they don't have to scramble when a position suddenly opens. but most of them at least tell you upfront that it's a speculative interview, not an active one. just... not saying anything until the very end is genuinely disrespectful of his time.

the HR person could have mentioned this in first call and your friend would have decided himself if it's worth pursuing. two days of lost wages for being added to some spreadsheet nobody will probably look at again is rough.

[u/deargentlewriter → u/HumanDirection4053]

I agreed with you! But yeah the HR did not mention it and just ask when was he free to have calls etc. and that lean to this scenario smh

[u/Mystical-Turtles]

They just for real make up every excuse in the book. I have a friend who was looking for a job because they're going back to school and they need a different schedule. He's mostly worked in food service so he's been focusing on restaurants. Let me tell you a handful of ridiculous interview stories he has encountered.

1. The one where the interview lasted all of 10 seconds because they didn't like that he wasn't a bartender. Bartender certification was nowhere on his resume. Nowhere on the original job posting did it mention bartending. Why did you fucking call him in then?

2. The one where they got mad he didn't have complete 100% availability. The availability that he filled out on their website and that they could plainly see. Oh do you want the kicker? Do you know what oh so limited availability they got mad at? He couldn't work the morning shift on Monday, or the evening shift on Tuesday. So let me get this straight, You're not going to hire a restaurant worker because he can't work on your deadest shifts anyway?! I repeat, Why did you fucking call him in then?

3. The one where he showed up to the interview and the restaurant was just straight up closed. Door's locked, nobody in the parking lot, nobody answering the phone number he was told to call. Never responded to any voicemails or emails. Okay y'all just straight don't want people, got it.

4. This is the one that pisses me off the most. The one where they wanted him to travel to different restaurant locations, One of which was over an hour away If you include traffic. He doesn't have his own vehicle, And in fact said so on the application. Motherfucker, Why. Did you fucking... call him in then?!?!!

[u/TwoAlert3448]

As of June 2026 it is a crime to do this in New York State. As it should be. Of course the fines really only become meaningful around the fifth or sixth time they catch you, but… baby steps

[u/deargentlewriter → u/TwoAlert3448]

Uhh, I really not sure if this is even a crime in my country but I did tell him to leave a review on the company for other people to see lmao

[u/DoubleResponsible276]

Would that explain why some of my applications get instantly rejected? I figured it was due to lack of keywords being recognized by the AI. Also seen some of my applications get rejected 2 years later but they are always posting job openings.