Rejected Or Selected

Canva was founded in Perth, (where RoS is recorded) and this week it told staff that 1,271 roles, about 22% of its workforce, would be cut, relocated or changed. In this episode of Rejected or Selected, Simon and Deany look at what was announced, why the company says it did it, and whether the decision holds up.

The main focus is what departing staff are being offered. Like the old man said to Link in the cave at the beginning of The Legend of Zelda, "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this."

As reported on 4 November, that includes at least six months’ salary, 12 months of healthcare where Canva provides it, the chance to keep their work laptops, and access to US$10,000 grants through a new Canva Collective Fund. These terms apply to people who lose their jobs, not to everyone affected. We talk about what a good exit looks like, how to use six months well, and what leaders should hand over beyond the money.

We also briefly discuss the controversy surrounding the furlough of 80% of Bit Reactor's staff only days before the launch of a flagship game and EA's hand in the decision.

Also, based on a lot of IP use in this episode, we're unsure who's going to sue us first - Canva or Nintendo.

OK, sometimes we make mistakes and get our facts wrong (or if you're Simon, that's most of the time)

In the last full episode, Simon related a story back to a previous workplace where his boss had demanded that everyone turn their cameras on during an online meeting. Simon spoke about how the United Nations has stated that it is a breach of human rights to ask an employee to turn their camera on during a meeting.

This is not true, and in this short addendum to our previous episode, Simon apologises to our fantastic listeners and owns up to making the mistake of relaying disinformation (making him a misinformant...uh oh)

Our 19th episode for 2026 sees Simon fly solo and unsupervised in what is a beautifully chaotic rant about two of his pet peeves - meetings that could have been emails, and candidate hoop jumping (Olympic level).

Without Deany holding the leash, Simon gets to wax lyrical the best way he knows how - off the cuff and shooting from the hip.

Will we get sued? Unlikely.

Will we get in trouble? Maybe.

Will we bore you? Absolutely no way!

Simon also has a good rant about corporate conferences and gives you some handy tips on how to avoid vendors on the expo floor while also getting the swag you want!

Got an anonymous confession? Reach out to us via our form here and spill the tea about something from the workplace that you've been dying to get off your chest https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeX7N26yGo6qpRGlSPAQJXsWfdMSFyRMZZJEDSqYvTUdUxz2w/viewform

This episode features Deany reading an anonymous workplace confession from someone in cybersecurity about a deeply frustrating interview with a recruiter who had no technical background but still lectured them on the basics of cloud migration and cybersecurity. It matters because it highlights how poor interview conduct can signal deeper hiring-culture problems. The lesson for job seekers: when an interview goes badly, it is usually better to move on, save your energy, and give feedback only if it can be done calmly and professionally.

• In this episode, Deany introduces a listener confession tied to a recent discussion about the good, bad, and ugly of interview experiences.
• The confession comes from a cybersecurity professional who applied for a role at a large, well-known IT consultancy.
• During a phone screen, the recruiter asked about cloud migration projects, then cut the candidate off and launched into a step-by-step explanation of on-premise versus cloud, migration, cybersecurity, and even what a stakeholder is.
• The candidate says this was not an entry-level role, and the explanations were wildly unnecessary for someone already experienced in the field.
• The recruiter appeared to be in HR and recruitment only, with no tech background or qualifications, and seemed to be repeating basic information he had heard elsewhere.
• The candidate suspects the interaction may have been influenced by gender or age bias, since she was a young woman in tech.
• The interview left her with a poor opinion of the company’s hiring process and made her question the internal culture.
• Looking back, she says she likely dodged a bullet by not advancing, because the culture may have been just as draining as the interview.
• Her advice is to redirect energy toward the next opportunity instead of arguing with the company after a bad interview.
• If feedback is given, it should be polite, honest, and phrased so it cannot be dismissed as sour grapes from a rejected candidate.

00:00 - Intro to Rejected or Selected Anonymous Confessions
00:29 - Setting up the anonymous interview confession
01:29 - Shoutout to co-host Simon Carabetta
02:27 - Today's confession: cybersecurity interview gone wrong
03:08 - Recruiter asks about cloud migration
03:36 - Candidate gets interrupted and mansplained basics
04:04 - Why the explanation was absurd for the role
04:34 - Stress of needing a job while being talked over
05:02 - Looking up the recruiter and finding no tech background
05:30 - The explanation sounded generic and outdated
06:01 - Why the candidate lost trust in the company
06:41 - Reflection: why the bad interview may have been a blessing
06:58 - Advice: move on and focus on better opportunities
08:02 - How to give feedback without sounding bitter

Share your story: Confess anonymously

The interview process says more about a company than the job ad ever will. When employers are slow, vague, or outright disrespectful, those are red flags (callback to our last episode!)

Deany and Simon unpack the good, the bad, and the ugly of interviews, from a recruitment process that made Deany feel genuinely valued, to the painful moments that exposed red flags, power imbalances, and wasted time. Deany shares what it feels like when a company is intentional about hiring while Simon adds his own standout experience, where a transparent process, personable interviewers, and honest conversations about the role made him feel confident before he accepted the offer.

The episode also gets brutally honest about the interviews that go wrong - a candidate being mistaken for the wrong gender, a public performance review gone awkwardly wrong, a two-hour wait with no apology, and the kind of interview that reveals the company is already telling you everything you need to know.

Also guess what? We now have a Discord! You can join right here and never miss a livestream or update about Rejected or Selected https://discord.gg/tFUfyHtJh

And don't forget, we still have our Anonymous Confessions episodes published every second week. Want to have your anonymous work confession feature in an episode? Get onto the form right here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeX7N26yGo6qpRGlSPAQJXsWfdMSFyRMZZJEDSqYvTUdUxz2w/viewform

Our brand new Anonymous Confessions bi-weekly show is now live as Simon flies solo while Deany flies back to Australia on business.

This one is a real "treat" as we explore a tale of a toxic workplace that would make even some of the most toxic bosses cringe.

Getting yelled and at cursed at? Awesome

Boss leaves the door open and yells on the phone? Awesome

Paper everywhere and a fax machine in the corner gathering dust? It's just Awesome!

Want to contribute to our Anonymous Confessions? Easy!

If you have an eye-watering tale of toxicity, a job search woe, or a candidate horror experience, then we want to hear it!

Get onto our Anonymous Confessions form today and your story might make a future episode https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeX7N26yGo6qpRGlSPAQJXsWfdMSFyRMZZJEDSqYvTUdUxz2w/viewform

Nobody takes a job expecting it to wreck them. You start out keen, you tell your mates you have landed somewhere great, and then somewhere between month three and month eighteen you notice you are dreading Monday on a Sunday afternoon.

In this episode, Simon and Deany break down the red flags of a toxic workplace, from the ones hiding in the job ad to the ones that only show up in your own behaviour. Why, "we're like a family here", should make you nervous. Why the good people always leave in clusters. Why a mindfulness app is not a staffing strategy. And why exit interviews get conducted, recorded, and quietly composted.

We also get into the research. MIT Sloan Management Review found that a toxic corporate culture was roughly ten times more important than compensation in predicting why people quit, with pay ranking only sixteenth on the list. Closer to home, managing psychosocial risk has been a legal duty for WA employers since December 2022, which means your workplace culture is a safety issue, not just a vibe.

Then we open up about our own experiences, the moments the scales fell off, and the things we told ourselves in order to stay.

Also, here's a link to the MIT Sloane Management Review about the "Great Resignation", it's an intriguing read - https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/toxic-culture-is-driving-the-great-resignation/

We're going back to our roots in Episode 16 with a return to job search woes!

Have you ever been told you were too qualified for a role, or did your feedback describe how you'd likely be a flight risk after 12-18 months? Well, that's happened to our Co-host Deany on more than one occasion.

What does it actually mean in 2026 to be overqualified for a role, but you want to career pivot or try something in your field that's a little bit different?

This week, Simon and Deany explore some of the most awkward and messy parts of the job search and provide some clear advice as to how you can navigate through them.

Anonymous Confessions:

Would you like to "spill the tea", so to speak, about something that's happened in your workplace?

Do you have a hiring horror story or HR mishap that would be a great share?

Then join go to our Anonymous Confessions form and let us know! If it's really good, your story might feature in an upcoming episode of Rejected or Selected 🎧Rejected or Selected Podcast: Anonymous Confessions

The Purple Circle - a very unique West Aussie way of describing the exclusive inner circle, the inner sanctum, when the boy's club joins forces with the mean girls, sprinkle in a few former school bullies, and voila, you have the makings of a group that will bring your career to a screeching halt.

In this week's episode, Deany and Simon explore the origins of this term and the industries and organisations it has infiltrated, plus how to spot if your workplace has one and just what to do about it.

We also have this week's Anonymous Confession and Simon discusses his new solo podcast venture.

Important Note: We discussed some topics and touched on themes that may upset some people. These concerned mental health and well-being, so please remember to reach out if you need help:

• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36

If you'd like to contribute to our Anonymous Confessions and feature in an upcoming episode, check out the form right here 🎧Rejected or Selected Podcast: Anonymous Confessions

This week Deany and Simon take a very deep dive into the past few years of Big 4 consulting scandals inside Australia. AI hallucinations, whistleblowers, sketchy emails and fabricated reports that cost nearly half a million dollars.

Also, this episode introduces our brand-new Anonymous Confessions segment and Deany announces her resignation and upcoming job search.

If you'd like to contribute to our Anonymous Confessions segment, you can find the form right here 🎧Rejected or Selected Podcast: Anonymous Confessions