Candidate Forgets Snapchat Filter, Completes Entire Interview as Potato

PORTLAND, OR - A job interview that was supposed to showcase Sarah Mitchell's digital marketing expertise instead became a masterclass in technical humiliation when she unknowingly completed the entire 45-minute conversation while a Snapchat filter rendered her as an anthropomorphic potato.

Mitchell, 28, had been testing filters on her laptop camera before a scheduled video interview with venture capital firm Redwood Partners. Unfortunately, she forgot to close the Snapchat web app before joining the Zoom call, resulting in the filter overlay persisting throughout the interview.

"I noticed the interviewers looked confused when I joined, but I assumed it was just the usual video call awkwardness," Mitchell explained. "I could see myself in the small preview window and everything looked normal to me. Turns out the filter was only visible to them, not to me."

For the entire interview, Redwood Partners' hiring team watched Mitchell's face rendered as a brown potato with animated googly eyes that tracked with her movements. When she spoke, the potato's mouth moved. When she nodded, the potato nodded. When she smiled enthusiastically about her experience with social media campaigns, the potato smiled.

"We genuinely didn't know what to do," admitted Redwood Partners recruiter James Wong. "Do we interrupt her and point it out? Let it continue and pretend it's normal? We made eye contact with each other several times trying to decide, but she was giving such good answers that we just... kept going."

The interview proceeded normally from Mitchell's perspective. She discussed her marketing analytics experience, walked through case studies, and answered behavioral questions - all while appearing to her interviewers as sentient produce.

"At one point she said 'I'm really passionate about authentic brand storytelling,' and the potato's eyes got bigger," Wong recalled. "It was the most surreal professional experience of my career."

The truth only emerged when Mitchell sent a thank-you email and included a screenshot from her side of the call, showing her normal appearance. Wong responded with a screenshot from their perspective: Mitchell as a potato.

"I immediately wanted to die," Mitchell said. "Then I wanted to withdraw my application. Then I laughed for about 20 minutes straight. Then I wanted to die again."

Mitchell sent a follow-up email apologizing and explaining the technical error, noting that she "typically does not appear as a potato" and that her "professional competency should not be judged based on root vegetable representation."

Unexpectedly, Redwood Partners requested a second interview.

"Her composure while unknowingly appearing as a potato demonstrated remarkable professionalism," Wong explained. "Also, the fact that she maintained eye contact, smiled appropriately, and showed enthusiasm while her face was replaced by a vegetable suggested she could probably handle high-pressure situations."

Mitchell completed the second interview - after meticulously confirming no filters were active - and received an offer two weeks later.

"In the offer call, they asked if I had any questions," Mitchell recalled. "I asked if I could include 'Successfully interviewed while potato' on my LinkedIn. They said only if I accepted the offer."

She accepted.

The incident has sparked conversations about video interview etiquette and the importance of testing technology before important calls. It has also launched several memes in marketing professional communities, including "Interview as your authentic self" with pictures of various vegetable filters.

Mitchell starts her new role next month and reports that her interview screenshot has been made into a framed poster that will hang in Redwood Partners' office with the caption "Culture Fit: Confirmed."

"I've learned two important lessons," Mitchell reflected. "First, always close unnecessary browser tabs before interviews. Second, if you're going to fail technologically, fail so memorably that it becomes an asset."

Redwood Partners has updated their pre-interview email templates to include "Please ensure all Snapchat filters are disabled" in the technical preparation checklist.

Mitchell's potato persona has become an unexpected mascot for the firm's marketing team. She maintains she is "much more effective in human form" but admits the potato "had really good interview energy."