45 Laughable Job Listings That Raise So Many Questions

Job searching is one of the most frustrating parts of adulthood. While the Internet has made things easier now with online job boards and postings, it is still daunting to scroll down a website and see the requirements of every job out there. It can make you feel inferior and inadequate immediately. Job searching has the ability to make you question your education, career choice, and abilities. This is especially true when the expectations set by the companies are highly unrealistic. If you’ve been trying to land a permanent job in the past year or so, then you will find these next few photos familiar. Here are just some of the more outlandish and unrealistic requirements we have found on job listings.

“Entry level”

Unfortunately, these kinds of job posts are going to be recurring in the following photos. The seniority level on the listing might say “Entry level.” But the required qualifications are almost impossible to meet, even for an experienced person in IT.

Who on earth has this amount of experience in the field and would apply for an entry-level position? The poor fresh graduates that turned on the “Entry level” filter on the job site come across requirements like this all the time. How are they supposed to have that many years of experience if they just graduated?

Looks matter

No matter how much influencers nowadays have attempted to increase self-confidence and body positivity, it immediately gets killed by job listings that say things like this. Apparently, looks are a requirement in the consumer goods industry.

It’s not like this listing was for a sales promotion or customer service role. This is an entry-level role in management consulting. People shouldn’t have to be required to be “good-looking.” What does that even mean anyway? Who decides whether the applicant is good-looking? HR?

Volunteers are priceless

This is by far the worst kind of job listings. For starters, it’s listed as full-time, part-time, and volunteer work. There is no world where all three of these things are the same. The worst part, though, is that it is unpaid.

The only way they could get away with not paying workers is if the job listing and contract specifically state “volunteer.” Full-time and part-time workers are still supposed to be paid minimum wage. The sorry excuse for an explanation as to why this role isn’t paid is actually ridiculous.

A little impossible

Some requirements on job postings are practically impossible to meet. They either ask for an obscene amount of experience, or it’s literally impossible to have worked that long in the field. Here are the requirements for applying to be an iOS developer with Apple.

For non-tech people out there, Swift is a programming language that only came out in 2014. Now in 2023, you can have more than 7 years of experience working with Swift, but at the time this listing was posted, it was an impossible ask.

A dollar per year of experience

If a company is asking for someone with experience, surely they will do their best to ensure this person is getting compensated a fair amount for said experience and expertise. Sadly, that does not seem to be the case for this one transcription company.

They are looking for a person who has ten years in transcribing audio but are only willing to pay $10 an hour. That’s like saying they only value each year of experience with $1. It’s incredibly demeaning and in no way appreciative of the workforce.

Obstacle course

When you apply to most corporate jobs, you will find that you have to go through an obstacle course before they finally give you an offer. These include assessment days, personality tests, and sometimes even IQ tests. And that’s on top of interviews.

This part of the job-hunting process can be the most challenging. These tests could be the only thing standing in between you and your dream job. If you mess it up, it doesn’t even matter how well you may have interviewed.

We pay in experience

We’re going to keep saying this until it becomes a reality: ban unpaid internships. Interns are some of the most hardworking people out there. They are part of the team and they do actual work for the company. That’s enough to warrant compensation.

Most job listings would say, “interns are paid in experience,” thinking that the value of experience can pay for life’s more practical needs. Well, employers, we have news for all of you. Experience doesn’t pay the rent! An actual salary does.

Educated barista

If you’re looking for a good and solid part-time job, be it waitressing or making coffee, you wouldn’t think that you would need a very impressive educational background. But apparently, this one coffee shop requires academically excellent and brilliant baristas.

Imagine applying to a local Starbucks and finding that you don’t qualify because you only have a Bachelor’s degree. We wonder what the employers think the Doctoral degree will be used for. Maybe to strike up intellectual conversations with the customer?

Slow work, 40 hours

Some jobs require you to be on call for hours and hours on end. This is fine, as long as it is stated in the job description. It is also fine as long as you are being compensated the reasonable amount for it, at the very least minimum wage.

This employer is making someone do full-time work for part-time pay, and we should never let this slide! It’s extortionate and totally underappreciative of the amount of hard work that employees put into the company. People make your company run, remember?

No work-life balance

Employers are not only responsible for paying their employees on time. They are also responsible for their employees’ well-being. Unhappy employees tend to underperform. It could lead to mental health issues that are damaging to their personal lives in the long run.

This particular company in Malaysia doesn’t seem to care, though. They don’t even let their employees take the day off to attend a family member’s funeral. How inhumane is that? These are people working for you, not robots! Somebody flag them.

Basically

Okay, we know this following tweet sounds ridiculous, but it’s basically how every single job listing out there sounds right now. They’re unrealistic with their expectations, way too strict on requirements, and unfair with their compensation.

Hypothetically, if you’re someone who possesses all these required skills, you would still only be paid in coffee. And we guarantee you, it’s not even good coffee. It’s probably watered down and tastes like the toilet. They could at least give you an espresso.

Six years short

Have you ever seen a job listing that requires a specific amount of experience in the field? This is completely normal and understandable for more technical roles. But the requirements also have to be realistic, and this one job post just isn’t cutting it.

How is anyone supposed to have at least 12 years of experience with Kubernetes if the app has only been around for 7 years? This just goes to show that companies want the best without really bothering to put in the effort.

“Entry level” part 2

Ah, yes. Yet another post on a job board that claims to be for an entry-level position. We say “claims” because while it may be listed with all other entry-level roles, this job requires a Master’s degree and between 7-10 years of experience.

The only way this company is going to get anyone with that level of experience is if they hired someone who’s nearing retirement. If they really wanted an aged expert, they shouldn’t be listing this job as an “entry-level” position.

The bare minimum

Big corporations seem to think that as long as they pay their employees the minimum wage, they’ve done their part. But job seekers are looking for more than just pay. They’re looking for security, wellbeing, and benefits on top of the pay.

This job poster had the audacity to only include “minimum wage” under “benefits” as if that fixes everything. That this is the only “benefit” immediately turns off job seekers. It screams being underappreciated in the workplace. That’s basic, not an extra.

Interviewing the master

Interviews should work both ways. The interviewer should do their research on their interviewee, just as the interviewee prepares by doing their research on the company and the role. This particular interview was a major fail because of the interviewer’s lack of research.

It seems that the interviewer didn’t even bother to read @JensRavens’s resume. If he did, he would know that Jens Ravens actually wrote the iOS library which he was referring to. Awkward much? Imagine being the actual originator of an iOS library and getting rejected from a job which required exactly that!

Confusing timeline

This is yet another job listing in which HR lacked the attention to detail and ended up confusing job seekers. An open role for a Process Engineer required one to three years of experience in the field. Fair enough, right?

That’s only what it says on the job summary, though. When you scroll down to a detailed list of requirements, the listing says it needs a minimum of five years of experience. So which one is it? Can a fresh grad apply or do they need to work five years elsewhere first?

I have debts to pay off

Corporate life is truly just extra. Graduates are just looking to get a job so that they can start paying off the inordinate amount of student debt they accumulated trying to get qualified enough for a job in their field.

Paying a person with a Bachelor’s degree and two years in the field with a measly $27,100 a year doesn’t nearly cover everything. People have to pay rent, gas, eat, and keep dependents alive. It’s no wonder more and more people are frustrated and calling these employers out.

Mic drop

There’s nothing worse than a condescending interviewer who takes one look at your CV and immediately concludes that you haven’t got what it takes. Though this happened to Twitter user @virtadpt, they managed to put the interviewer in his place.

It’s shocking to learn that Facebook doesn’t appreciate internships for what they are. Despite not being actual employment, internships are a great educational learning experience. People should be proud of the internships they have undertaken, the same way this Twitter user is.

No Jeffreys allowed

We have heard of all kinds of workplace discrimination, be it against people’s gender, race, sexuality, or abilities. But we’ve never heard of discrimination against a specific name! What kind of workplace bans everyone named Jeffrey from working with them?

What if this guy’s name were spelled “Geoffrey” instead? Would that mean they could accept him then? They would be missing out on a lot of talented Jeffreys. If they knew this from the start, why did they even bother interviewing this guy?

Basically slavery

What an appealing online job listing. This is just what everyone is looking for these days. An unpaid full-time job. Just something to spend all our time and energy on without getting compensated for it because we already have enough money.

This statement alone is enough to make people scroll past the listing and find an opportunity somewhere else. This company is never going to find a full-time Financial Advisor by being cheap. Pay your workforce fairly; it’s as simple as that.

Louder for those in the back

This LinkedIn post should be forwarded to every employer, be it a small startup or a big corporate firm. The job interview process is already nerve-wracking enough. There is no reason for applicants to be asked to endure extra hardship.

If you’re going to put your applicants through a more grueling process, you should also consider your company and reputation. Do you pay fairly? Are your benefits appealing? Is your work environment healthy? Are you a powerful global brand? If your answer to any of these is no, you should reconsider your hiring process.

Let me down gently

Perhaps the worst part of applying for a job is waiting for that call or email after the final interview stage. Applicants get crazy anxious in the following days, wondering if they did well enough to get the job. But most of the time, if they didn’t get the job, they don’t even hear back.

Employers should at least have the decency to let down their applicants gently. No, we’re not talking about a generic email saying they “decided to go another way.” Take the time to explain what was missing and give feedback on what could be improved. Appreciate the applicants’ efforts.

Surely a typo

Okay, this has to be a typo. There is no way the amount listed under “payment” is actually correct. This company is demanding two to three years of experience with the Adobe Creative Suite, but only paying $1 a day?

Graphic design is one of the most skillfully and creatively demanding jobs in the field. Graphic designers make or break your brand. And yet, this Brooklyn-based company has the audacity to pay a measly $1 a day? Not even minimum wage? Proofreading is important.

A zookeeper’s salary

While being a zookeeper seems to be a cool job, it certainly does not pay nearly enough. Based on this job listing, zookeeping basically takes up a lot of energy and strength every day. The zoo and its animals can’t take care of itself.

A job that requires the ability to lift a minimum of 50 lbs and run a ten-minute mile should surely warrant a higher salary than $8.50 an hour. The job also demands 45 hours a week including weekends and holidays. They should really be paying these zookeepers a lot more.

The bane of our lives

It’s bad enough that you have to tailor your resume to fit the job description of the role you’re applying for. You also have to write a cover letter basically kissing up to the company and showing them that you’re worth hiring.

A cover letter is essentially a few paragraphs where you flatter the company for how great it is and how it would be an honor to work for them. You then have to sell yourself to convince them that you’re right for the part. It’s the worst part of the application process.

This should be illegal

Any job that requires expertise should be paid at least minimum wage. No, scratch that. Any job ever should require a minimum wage pay. We are seriously appalled at the pay rate on this job listing for an Expert Financial Writer.

Paying someone with three years of writing experience and four years in the finance business a measly $0.50 per hour is insane. Fifty cents. Not even a single dollar. If they’re asking for an expert willing to take that salary, they are dreaming.

Senior entry level

We’re several items in on these ridiculous job listings and we have to say, there are so many posts with the same issue. Employers are classifying their ads all wrong. They’re saying that a role requiring a decade of experience is an entry-level position.

Clearly, when you’re asking that someone have ten years in the industry prior to working for you, you’re looking for an expert. Not someone who just walked off the stage at their bachelor’s degree graduation. If only employers could classify correctly.

Ban unpaid internships

We’ve said it once in this article, and we’ll say it again. Ban unpaid internships. Appreciate your interns for the hardworking, dedicated people that they are and for all they do for your company. Compensate them for their level of education and qualification.

This role requires an “intense understanding of skincare chemicals.” It requires lab access and a Bachelor’s degree. This is not an internship; it sounds much more like an entry-level position. More importantly, it is definitely a role that deserves pay.

Entry level worker with a PhD

If you read this heading and thought, “that’s not right,” we’re with you. We’re still trying to wrap our heads around how any medical writing job could be entry-level. Surely, one would need a certain level of medical knowledge to be able to write about it.

These requirements are not absurd for a medical writing job. You want someone who knows what they’re talking about. But if this is the case, then maybe you shouldn’t be listing the job as an entry-level position. Employers, take note.

So which one is it?

Again with the inconsistencies on these job posts. Is there someone approving these before they go out online? Or is HR just left to their own devices most of the time? Judging from the number of times this has happened, we’re guessing the latter.

Are these applicants supposed to be time travelers or something? Go back in time and invent Angular two years before it was actually invented so that they can claim those five years of experience? These companies really need to research better.

Twenty years’ experience

Alright, we’re getting sick of these job listings claiming they’re for an entry level role but requiring an insane amount of experience. If you’re looking for someone with two decades in engineering, advertise the job as a more senior level.

Advertising jobs as entry level only gives companies the ability to pay less for more qualified, or even highly qualified people. Truly the marker of a company that doesn’t properly value its workforce. This job posting should be flagged as downright silly.

Legally confused

As it turns out, it’s not only job listings in the medical, engineering, or media field that are confusing. Trying to apply for a job in law is also kind of challenging. Sometimes they require you to have 10 years of experience in a law that has only existed for five.

Apparently even lawyers have to be time travelers too. Lawyers already spend years in law school to become qualified. Now you’re telling them they can’t practice in their field unless they’ve worked ten years? It’s no wonder there are few good lawyers out there.

We’re getting tired

Oh, this needs to stop! There have been countless cases like this where entry-level positions require years and years of experience. It’s honestly tiring and depressing for job seekers to keep seeing these kinds of posts. It’s so confusing too.

If the people posting these listings cannot be trusted to provide accurate information, maybe the job sites need a team that reviews everything before the listing can go online. That way, it won’t be so dejecting or misleading for job seekers.

Don’t take it personal

Well, this is hilarious. It’s the funniest job listing we’ve come across so far. We all know that personal assistants are some of the hardest working people out there. And, as the title entails, the job gets pretty freakin’ personal.

This employer felt the need to warn their potential employee that the job is demanding and that they shouldn’t take the little things personally. If we were job seekers and we saw this warning, we would be hesitant to apply.

Pay too low

We’ve said this time and time again. Workers should be appreciated for their time, energy, skills, and qualifications. And paying a software tester a mere $20k a year does not seem to us as something that is appreciative at all.

This company has the audacity to state that working with them means working in a “place where you are well paid.” Clearly, this is not the case. It’s a full-time job in software. The technical qualifications alone should warrant more than that.

Looking to pay employees less

Whoever sent this email is a little too honest for our taste. They totally revealed their company’s cards. They hire people living in countries with a lower living cost so that they can get away with paying a lot less.

If they were never going to hire anyone from the US, then why did they bother even going through with this poor applicant’s application in the first place? Can you blame someone for living somewhere that demands higher pay due to the cost of living?

Cheap nanny needed

Some people want a lot of things done but don’t have the money to pay for the service. If that’s the case, they should manage their expectations instead of demanding the most and paying the least. Unfortunately, only a handful of people have the sensibility to do that.

The thing is, this person isn’t just looking for a nanny for their six-year-old. They’re also asking for a lot. They need someone who has their own car and who is CPR certified. Those kinds of qualifications warrant more than $80 a week for sure.

Reversed internship

Has anyone ever heard of a reversed internship? No? We haven’t either. This is the first we’re hearing about anything like it. What is a reversed internship, you ask? Well, it’s where you pay to work at a company, but they don’t pay you a dime.

This is truly bizarre. Why would someone looking for a paying job pay to work? It should be the other way around. And can we talk about the rate? They’re supposed to pay $15/hour to work? We call it total nonsense.

Basically, work at home too

What a snobby thing to tweet. Now we know what kind of questions we would be asked if we were to apply to Blizzard. They expect you to always be working, even at home. Anything less and they think you’re not passionate enough.

They do know that programming is a job. Programmers don’t have to also program at home if they don’t want to. Being passionate about something doesn’t mean that we’re working on it 24/7. There is such a thing called balance.

Entry level professional

Of course. Another entry-level job requiring substantial professional experience. We’re getting sick of this and you probably are too. There are just too many of these things going around and we’re tired of seeing it. Maybe it’s the new gimmick.

We’re not sure if the Lockheed Martin Corporation would like an entry-level employee or an experienced professional. These two things are completely contradictory and shouldn’t even be seen in the same job listing. We just wish these listings were clearer.

Interviewing the creator

These employers think they know everything. They establish the requirements to qualify job seekers for the role. They set themselves up as the expert in the interviews. They can even make things feel a little intimidating to make the interviewee feel small.

What they probably should have done is researched the interviewee. You never know, you could actually be interviewing the person who created FastAPI and making a fool of yourself in front of him. This one makes us smile with satisfaction.

Feels illegal

As the final item on this list, we’ll give you the job listing that is still ridiculous but somehow forgivable. This is only forgivable because of semantics. While a salary of $15.29 an hour is still measly at best, it is listed as a minimum salary.

This means that there might be a possibility of getting more than that per hour. But still. If you’re requiring someone with a Master’s degree, you should probably be not be paying them hourly. Appreciate your workforce for the qualified, experienced, hardworking people they are.