Recruiter rejects job applicant after he lists 'olive oil' as one of his interests: 'That is not an interest. I cannot stop thinking about it. There will not be an interview.'

• A recruiter recently went viral on X for rejecting an applicant because he listed “olive oil” as one of his interests.

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• Now here is where I have to disagree. Olive oil is absolutely an interest, and this guy is smart for including it on his resume. He is filtering out work cultures that don't have a sense of humor and don't have the curiosity to ask, "Why is olive oil one of your interests? Please tell me more."

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• If you hire a guy whose interest is "olive oil," there is a non-zero chance that come Christmastime, he will be gifting you an expensive bottle of olive oil that can't be purchased at a mediocre grocery store.

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• There is undoubtedly a difference between someone who cares about using good olive oil but wouldn't consider it an interest and someone who would list "olive oil" as an interest on their resume. The latter probably has some esoteric knowledge that even the most fervent foodies are not privy to. If you want to reject a job applicant based on the merits of their experience, that's fine by me. But rejecting a qualified candidate because you have no sense of humor or curiosity is weak sauce. Or rather, weak oil. 

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