A recent college grad has revealed the 'embarrassing' mistake that she made while applying for a new job - and issued a stark warning to others so they don't make the same blunder.

The woman opened up about the 'mortifying' mishap on Reddit under the subreddit known as r/GirlDinnerDiaries.

In the post, she explained that she had interviewed for a job last week and felt it went 'really well.'

She was excited because the new position checked all of her boxes - it was exactly what she wants to do, near where she lives and it included a 'massive pay increase' compared to her current job.

'The interview went really well - [the person I interviewed with] seemed really impressed with my resume, said she could do the top of my salary request and talked extensively about how she wanted me to start ASAP,' she wrote.

'I’m a recent grad so I don’t have much experience with "real" job interviews, which comes into play here,' she added.

The woman went on to explain her contract at her current job is 'nearly up' and they already have 'another person lined up' to take over when it finishes, so she offered to ask her current job if she could 'leave early.'

'At the end [of the job interview], [the woman] asked me if I wanted a few days "to think about it." I assumed this was an offer, which I sent an email accepting a few days ago,' she continued. 'Told my whole family about the awesome job I’d secured.'

Unfortunately, she had assumed she had been offered the job prematurely. 

'A few days pass and they email me [saying] that they are still reviewing applications and conducting interviews. How embarrassing - my face is on fire,' the woman wrote. 

'The embarrassment is so strong that I honestly feel a little sick. Now I know to wait for the offer in writing so that there are no misunderstandings. Or maybe I’ll just go live in the woods and never interview again.' 

The Reddit user accompanied the post with a picture of her eating McDonald's, and concluded her story by joking that her day had gone so badly that she decided to treat herself to some fast food.

'McDonald's cheeseburgers, fries and nuggets because today sucked so I might as well feel s**tty too.'

The post went viral on Reddit, gaining hundreds of comments, as many other users admitted that they had made the same mistake before.

'When I was a recent grad I went on an interview, the woman walked me to the elevator, shook my hand, said "Welcome aboard" and... I never heard from them again. Some WEIRD things happen in job interviews. I have total confidence in you that you will end up exactly where you are meant to be!' one person wrote.

Another shared: 'My cousin had this happen too, he put his two weeks notice in at his old job. The two weeks came and went, and he never heard back from the other job he thought he was getting. 

'But his interviewer even told him he had the job. The job market is weird right now. Luckily he was able to find something else pretty quickly.'

Others defended the user, agreeing with her that the recruiter did make it seem like she had been selected for the job.

'I’m sorry but all of her comments truly made it sound like you got the job and was just pending an official offer letter or something similar. This sucks and I’m sorry. It’s not your fault! I hope you get something even better soon!' one Reddit user wrote.

Another seconded: 'Hey! Don’t sweat it. By your account the interviewer offered you the job. I would be confused too and I have decades of interview experience.'

'Talking about you starting ASAP and asking if you wanted a few days to think about it... lowkey is a job offer. This is 10,000 percent on the company and not on you. THEY should be embarrassed, not you,' another person typed.

The user's post comes as a recent report showed that more Gen-Z graduates are turning to unconventional jobs right after college.

According to ZipRecruiter's 2026 graduate report, which surveyed 1,500 recent graduates, 72.7 percent of them were considering 'alternative employment options.'

About 37.5 percent of those surveyed were considering starting their own business, while 28.1 percent were considering freelance work.

32.5 percent of those surveyed were considering gig work, like delivery or data annotation.