[JohnFen]

I don't think it's fair to call my comment wordplay. The only point that I was making is that if an applicant is unable to perform adequately in the job, it's in the best interest of the applicant and the employer that they not be in the job.

I don't think this is a controversial statement. If such an applicant gets the job, both the applicant and the employer will be unhappy and someone will either have to quit or be fired, which also sucks for all concerned.

[nottathrowaway3]

It evokes a larger brand of similar wordplay which is basically the professional equivalent of "it's not you, it's me". The reason people don't like it is that it essentially tries to trick applicants into misunderstanding their economic interest, rather than just admit they're rejecting you because you're bad.

> If such an applicant gets a job...

Getting the job offer would not cause any of those problems. By getting it you would build valuable interviewing experience. Taking it is the thing that's not in your interest. That's all I'm trying to say.