Over a third of candidates have rejected a job offer following a negative interview, ranging from long processes to unprepared interviewers. But how much do these poor experiences cost companies?
Interested in the best and worst companies to interview for, digital PR agency Reboot Online analysed the 100 best employers’ Glassdoor profiles and more than 300,000 reviews to reveal those with the highest percentage of negative and positive experiences, alongside their difficulty rating.
Companies with the hardest interview process CompanyIndustryAverage Difficulty Score (/5) 1 GoogleIT Software & Services3.4 =2 NVIDIA Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering 3.2=2Rolls-Royce HoldingsAerospace & Defense3.2=2SalesforceIT Software & Services3.2=2Meta PlatformsIT Software & Services3.2=3MicrosoftIT Software & Services3.1=3AdobeIT Software & Services3.1=3AmazonIT Software & Services3.1=3Alibaba GroupIT Software & Services3.1=4Apple*Transportation and Logistics3
Interestingly, difficult interviews do not correlate to bad experiences. Many of the companies ranking in the top 10 report low negative interview experiences.
Reboot Online found that Google has the highest difficulty score among the 100 best companies to work at in 2025. With a score of 3.5 out of five, it lives up to its reputation for having a tough interview process. Despite this, 63% of candidates left feeling like the interview was positive, with just 13% citing it as negative.
NVIDIA, Rolls-Royce, Salesforce and Meta are also among the hardest companies to interview for, with an average score of 3.2. Due to their competitive hiring practices, attracting top-tier candidates allows them to be selective and enforce a more rigorous interview process. Salesforce and Rolls-Royce candidates both report high levels of positive interview experiences with 80% and 75% happiness, respectively.
Unsurprisingly, IT companies dominate the list of hardest companies to interview for.
Companies with the most negative interview experiences
Reboot Online also discovered that candidates interviewing at Spotify had the highest percentage of negative experiences among the world’s top 100 employers, with almost two in five (37%) reporting a bad experience. Common complaints include cite recruiter ghosting, generic rejection emails and interviewers arriving late.
Surprisingly, 29% of candidates recall negative interviews at Indeed. Despite being the world’s number one job site, it ranks second overall. With over 1,800 reports on Glassdoor, Indeed is one of the four IT companies to feature in the top 10, suggesting a wider industry issue.
PayPal, Shopify and Netflix follow closely with 28% of candidates reporting negative interview experiences. Despite all three being highly desirable places to work, the fast-paced cultures don’t leave candidates with a good impression, as one in three left unimpressed.
Overall, 15% of candidates report a negative interview experience.
