Company apologises for accidentally telling jobseeker she was "worth an interview if only for a laugh"

We all dread job interviews: what if they ask a tricky question that you just don’t know the answer to? What if you’re a nervous mess? What if you forget to say, when asked whether you have any weaknesses, that you’re “too much of a perfectionist and sometimes you just work too hard?”

But usually, you have to - you know - actually do the interview before getting the negative feedback you’re so terrified of.

However, Anna Jacobs was insulted before she’d even set foot in the room after she was accidentally emailed comments about her application by the company with whom she was applying for a job.

The graduate from Horsmonden in Kent had applied for a position at the Tonbridge-based company Tecomak Environmental Services, who replied inviting her for an interview, but also attached a series of derogatory comments about her by mistake.

They said that she was a “Home educated oddball. Can't get a job since leaving uni. Forages for mushrooms. Difficult to assess from her CV - might be very good but equally could be a biscuit short of a packet or a left-wing loon tree hugger. Worth an interview if only for a laugh."

She told BBC South East Today that when she saw the “absolutely awful summary,” she was “furious”.

After the company initially said it was investigating, it has finally apologised to Anna, with Ross Black a director of the company, saying:

"Clearly the comments were informal and not to the high professional standard you would expect from a company like ours. I understand that it must have been upsetting to read the comments and I apologise on behalf of the company and the employees concerned. We genuinely felt your application and CV was interesting and you were shortlisted from a long list of over 40 candidates. We would be more than happy to interview you as one of the strongest candidates that have applied and, if you were to accept an interview, you can be assured that your application will be treated fairly and appropriately."

However, Anna has turned down the offer of an interview, saying that she had others she needed to focus on.

We would 100% advise her to put “worth an interview if only for a laugh” at the top of her CV immediately.

(Image: BBC South East Today)