An automated interview scheduling tool pulled availability from a candidate's personal calendar this week, revealing appointments titled "Therapy (again)," "Tinder date (probably terrible)," and "Sit in car and cry - 30 mins."

The scheduling system, designed to show mutual availability between candidates and hiring teams, displayed the candidate's full calendar including personal events. The hiring manager could see literally every appointment, commitment, and emotional breakdown scheduled for the next two weeks.

Other notable calendar entries visible to the interview team:

• "Avoid Mom's calls"
• "Pretend to work out (won't)"
• "Stress eat - lunch meeting with self"
• "Indeed browsing (desperate hours)"
• "Update resume AGAIN because nothing matters"

The candidate realized the issue only after the recruiter sent an interview invite with the note: "Looks like Tuesday works better - I see Thursday you have your weekly existential crisis blocked off."

The candidate's response: "I am mortified and withdrawing my application. Please delete all records of my existence."

The recruiter's response: "Absolutely not. Your honest calendar proves you're self-aware. Also several of us relate to 'cry in car.' You're hired if you want it."

Plot twist: the candidate accepted the offer. The company now has a policy of blocking personal calendar details from syncing. They learned this lesson the hard way, but at least they learned it.

Other cursed calendar entries discovered through sync fails this month:

• "Job interview #4 this week (kill me)"
• "Practice lying about why I left last job"
• "Glassdoor stalking - Company Edition"
• "Googling 'is my boss a sociopath' - research time"
• "Bathroom crying - meetings between actual meetings"

One candidate's calendar showed "Interview with [Company Name] - they seem desperate" during the actual interview time. They did not get the job. Shocking absolutely nobody.

IT departments everywhere are updating calendar sync permissions. Too late for the candidates who've already exposed their "Wine time - coping mechanisms" recurring appointments, but better late than never.

The real MVP is the candidate whose calendar showed "Spite apply to jobs - reject ME? I reject YOU" and still got interview requests. Recruiters respect the energy if not the professionalism.

Scheduling automation is great until it reveals that Tuesday at 2pm is blocked for "Existential dread - do not disturb." Then it's a privacy nightmare wrapped in psychological exposure with a side of unemployment anxiety.

Pro tip: Create a separate professional calendar for interview scheduling. Or don't. Honesty might be the competitive advantage nobody's talking about.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone whose personal calendar would absolutely disqualify them from employment if synced publicly. You're not alone. You're just smarter about privacy settings.

May your calendar blocks remain private and your coping mechanisms remain unscheduled.