30 Recruitment Memes That Every HR Professionals Relate To

Samiha Tahsin

— 7 min read
30 Recruitment Memes That Every HR Professionals Relate To

You know, the first office meme I ever saw was an HR one. 

Even with a cool HR, you don't just walk up and say, "Hey, that thing you do is annoying." You just... find a meme. It's how we all really talk, right?

It got me thinking: what memes do HR people send to each other? What's their secret language for the recruiting hassle they deal with?

Following 30 memes I have collected from social media. These recruitment HR memes are painfully, yet hilariously accurate. After seeing all, I’m dead sure you will share a few with your Hiring manager and colleagues.

30 Hilarious Recruitment Memes 

You have to deal with your HR before the interview – meaning the job posting stage, during the interview, after the interview if you’re accepted or rejected, if accepted then when you join the office, and day to day office life.

So we have categorized memes as per these phrases to make you better relate with the context.

Job Posting Memes

  1. High Salary Remote Job

When you find a remote job with a high paying salary:

  1. Talents Everywhere

This is what happens when HR visits linkedin and finds talents everywhere. Yet, they find average candidates after shortlisting.

  1. I Don’t Know You, But I will Find You

When you finally find the most suitable candidate before the interview, and you think he/she is going to make it.

  1. HR After Searching Candidates for a Month

This is what happens before you start hiring, and what happens after a month.

  1. The Competitive Salary

Even before the interview, the applicant raised concerns about so-called competitive salary. 

  1. More Experienced But Underaged 

By no HR means, when you’re more after experience in applicants.

  1. HR Waiting for the Interview

This is when you send interview invitations to shortlisted candidates.

  1. Unpaid Internships

Think out of the box for unpaid internships.

Interview Memes

This is the most fun part. During interviews, you might want to laugh at how HR is thinking, but you can’t. Did you ever try to pull these jokes during an interview? Let us know.

  1. Experienced with Any Experience
  1. So Tell Me About Yourself

Straight to the point. You need it the most, and that’s all that matters right now.

  1. Gap in Resume

You don’t have to lie at all. If you have skills and experience, pull a joke like this one.

  1. You Lied on Your Resume

Fair enough, right? Exaggerating job description meets exaggerating resume.

  1. What Do You Want in this Job

Can’t be more sensible than this. 

  1. Managers Being More HR than the HR

When HR notices managers or a field expert is doing the HR thing during an interview.

  1. Seal the Job Contract

Time to “Seal” the contract.



Salary Negotiation Memes

Before you come to this point, you probably can guess if the employer is pleased with your interview so far or not. For the salary expectations part, it’s not wrong to start like the following jokes. Kidding!

  1. Salary Expectations

I personally ask employers this question. If they ask for 5 years of experience, then my calculation would be “Entry level standard salary + with 5 years of increment = Expected salary”

  1. Starting Pay vs Later

I have a plan to pull this joke on purpose. If I realize they have no intention of onboarding them, then I try this one.

  1. High Salary for a Hard Job

Who says you can’t ask for a high salary without experience? 

Rejection Memes

If the hiring manager and other persons in the interview already decide if the candidate is a Yes or No for them, still they have to keep the conversion going as follows.

  1. HR Agrees But Candidate Doesn’t

You have top-notch skills, you’re experienced, and you have other offers. Before they reject you, you reject them. This scenario is common with global staffing.

  1. Recruiters’ Theme Song by Adele

When recruiters finally find the right candidate, but the candidate asks for more money that the company can’t afford

  1. We will be in Touch

If you hear this from the HR, you must reply like this. They are not thinking about you anyway. This is a hilarious way of replying. 

When You Join the Office Memes

True Power of HR 

When you’re hired, you will be able to relate to HR memes to a whole new level.

HR during the interview, and HR when you join the office.

4 HR Rules

Manual HR stuff.

HR Gets Updated Resume from Employees

I remember I kept our cool newbie HR waiting for 1 week to give my updated resume.

In-House Memes

Apart from the regular HR things, there are other fun stuff related to HRs.

Applied for Other Families

The manager likes you. But you have applied for other companies.

HR Wins Performance Award

When it’s time for the performance bonus of HR themselves.

When No One Takes HR Seriously

The typical HR reaction when employees don’t take HR stuff seriously.

HR Knows Everything

Dr. HR multiverse.

You hide something from HR, but he/she knows you well with months of experience working with you.

Raise Doesn’t Cover Up Inflation

We expect our raise to cover up inflation. But the reality is different.

Time to Say Goodbye to the HR

Okay, this is the final meme. You got a better offer and you accepted it. It’s time to say goodbye.

Keeping a Friendly Relationship with HR

Sending memes from this collection to HR? I'd be terrified. You really have to know your HR person, you know?

Like, if they're the super serious, all-business type, forget it. You'll just get that weird, blank stare, or worse, that "Is there something I can help you with?" email. Total cringe.

But if they're the one you actually see laughing in the kitchen? Then maybe. I'd still play it safe, though. I'd probably start with something everyone hates, like a meme about the printer always being jammed or how bad the coffee is.

I definitely wouldn't send one about, say, my paycheck being late. That just feels... passive-aggressive, and I don't want that kind of heat.

But if you find a really funny one about how crazy the job market is, or some candidate doing something wild... something you're both seeing? That could actually be funny. It's like you're in on the same joke. It just makes them less "the HR police" and more like a normal person you work with.

Conclusion

HRs actually do things that the owners and stakeholders are deciding. So, don’t take it personally. If you unconsciously create a bad vibe for HRs, you may end up doing something seriously stupid to HRs in your current and future offices. So, try to balance typical HR scenarios.

Hope these recruitment memes will often be discussed in your office dining area and when you guys take a break.

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