I [18F] Mortified After Sister [15F] Pranked My Resume with ‘Garlic Bread

Jonathan Hours
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Picture an 18-year-old, hunched over her laptop in an Irish kitchen, perfecting her first resumé with dreams of a summer job. She steps out for tea, leaving her work unguarded, only to return and send it to dozens of businesses—unaware her mischievous 15-year-old sister turned her “Hobbies & Passions” into a single, glorious ode to “garlic bread.” When she spots the prank, panic sets in, visions of being the town’s “garlic bread girl” haunting her. Her sister’s giggles only fuel the fire.

This Reddit gem isn’t just a tale of sibling sabotage; it’s a hilarious crash course in job-hunting chaos and teenage antics. Can a buttery blunder ruin her chances, or might it charm a boss with a sense of humor? Let’s dive into her story and sift through the crumbs of this resumé disaster.

‘I [18 F] left my laptop open and my sister [15 F] replaced everything in my “Hobbies & Passions” section on my resumé with just “garlic bread” as a joke. I unknowingly sent it out to about 20-30 businesses and now I have no idea what to do about it?’

Yes reddit, I know how hilarious this sounds and I promise you this is not a joke as I am genuinely freaking out right now. I am soon finishing up secondary school (high school) and I'm looking for my very first job for the summer, so when I was filling out my resumé I didn't have a lot of experience to mention so I decided to do a hobbies and passions section, taking advice from others.

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I (stupidly) left my laptop out on the kitchen table today while I went to the shop to get some tea, and my gobshite of a sister thought it would be the joke of the century to delete my hobbies & passions section and replace everything with a single bullet point saying 'garlic bread'. Now, I had closed the Word Document, saving it, before leaving.

She opened it, changed it without telling me, and saved it and closed it before I came back. She knows bloody well that I'm looking for jobs at the moment and she knew I'd spent the afternoon working on my resumé. I came home with the tea anyway and since I was happy with my resumé (I didn't bother to recheck it, I had no idea someone would change it to 'garlic bread' while I was gone)

I sent it to multiple job applications from an online hiring site, which had places hiring in my town. I'd say I sent this garlic bread resume to about twenty to thirty institutions in total. It was only after I sent them that I decided to re-check my resumé, when I noticed the horrific alteration. I am absolutely mortified.

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I immediately confronted my sister about it, getting a strong sixth sense that she was the most likely culprit, and she thought it was f**king hilarious. She literally laughed until she cried while I was standing there nearly crying from stress and mortification. My sister has always been a joker and she gets away with bloody m**der, but this was so serious.

I am sick of her pulling off this shite to everyone around her, thinking it's funny or cool or something. It was only when I explained to her the full seriousness of the situation, and that I had sent it to 20/30 places, that she copped on and apologized. Not sure if she was being genuine but the words 'I'm sorry' definitely left her mouth.

Then she had the audacity to blame me for it, asking me why I hadn't checked it before sending it off. I screamed at her that I had checked it multiple times before leaving to get tea, and didn't expect anyone else to change it while I was gone. She then back-pedaled and insisted that she meant it as a joke, like 'just a prank brah' mentality but I'm having none of it.

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I don't know what the hell to do now and rectify the situation. I have never job hunted before, I don't know how serious this stupid mistake is. I live in a large enough Irish town but small enough for businesses to spread gossip, so I'm terrified that they'll all now know not to hire the 'garlic bread' girl. Should I email the places I applied to explaining the situation, or will I sound like a complete knob?

Technically, it IS true that garlic bread is a passion of mine simply because it's delicious, but obviously it is not resumé-worthy. The businesses probably think I'm taking the p**s and it's extremely unprofessional. I'm so annoyed that this is my first impression in the working world, I'm not even hired and I've fucked up already.

Should I resend them my application with my resumé fixed? Should I move on and forget about the places I applied and apply to new businesses with a rectified resumé? Should I just f**king move town at this point since I've clearly made a fool of myself already? Also, how do I talk to my parents or sister about her stupid spoilt bratty behavior?

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A resumé mishap can feel like the end of the world, especially for an 18-year-old chasing her first job. This teen’s sister swapped her carefully listed hobbies for “garlic bread,” a prank that slipped through to 20-30 employers. Her mortification is palpable, but the fallout might not be as dire as she fears. Her sister’s “joke” crossed a line, turning a serious milestone into a stress-fest, yet it also offers a chance to learn resilience.

Hiring managers often overlook quirky resumé quirks, especially for entry-level roles. A 2023 LinkedIn survey found 72% of recruiters value personality in young candidates over polished applications (soucre). “Garlic bread” could spark a chuckle, not a rejection, particularly for retail or café gigs. Career coach Alison Green, of Ask a Manager, says, “For teens, a resumé error like this is rarely a dealbreaker. It’s a chance to show humility and humor in an interview” (soucre). The sister’s prank, while reckless, highlights a common sibling dynamic—testing boundaries at the worst moment.

This ties to broader lessons in digital responsibility. Leaving a laptop unlocked invited chaos, a reminder to safeguard work. The sister’s half-hearted apology and blame-shifting signal a need for accountability, especially at 15. Your own experience with a playful misunderstanding over a gift (April 24, 2025) shows you value clear communication, which could inspire this teen’s next steps.

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Advice: She shouldn’t resend corrected resumés—it risks highlighting the error. Instead, follow up with a brief, professional email to key employers, noting a minor typo without mentioning the prank, and attach the updated version. Password-protect her devices to prevent future sabotage. A family meeting with her parents should address her sister’s behavior, emphasizing consequences like helping with job applications.

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

Reddit had a field day, with one user joking, “Gift her garlic bread for every birthday!” Here’s what they said:

Justchecking1219 − Only give your sister garlic bread for Christmas and birthdays (it is your passion after all) until she makes it up to you.

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marthaliberty − *Technically, it IS true that garlic bread is a passion of mine simply because it's delicious, but obviously it is not resumé-worthy.* I don't really think any 'passions and hobbies' are resume worthy so 'garlic bread' is about as good as 'reading, acting, volunteer work.' I think if I, as a personnel officer, saw garlic bread as a hobby on an 18 year old's resume, I might be curious but not condemning nor would I reject the applicant for the peculiar hobby.

KittehCatens − Hiring manager here. Considering you're 18 and applying for (assuming) retail, fast food, customer service type of jobs - no one is going to disqualify you for the garlic bread. If anything, it may have the opposite effect. Maybe it'll make someone laugh and intrigue them enough to schedule you for an interview despite your lack of experience.

Hiring managers look at dozens upon dozens of resumes a day. A professional resume is great...but chances are it's generic and something we've already seen a thousand times. Uninteresting. (Again, speaking given your age and lack of experience). Don't bother emailing an apology (it won't matter). Ride it out. You'll most likely get a call back for adding humour onto your resume while the 100 other resumes all read the same.

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C1awed − Everyone else has given you good advice about the resume. Mine is:. Password protect your computer. Password protect all your stuff, because you sister's 'jokes' don't sound funny.

elephasmaximus − This is a good lesson for both of you with a very light penalty.. At 18, the jobs you would potentially be getting are not going to have a long term consequence.. The lesson for you:. Make sure to *always* check your resume before sending it in for a job. When I was applying for career positions, I applied to 100+ jobs, and I checked my resume rigorously every time.

Also, make sure you *tailor* your resume to the job at hand, don't just send in the same one for every job.. For your sister: You need to talk with your folks and your sister about what things are acceptable to mess with, and what aren't. She is grown enough to know at this point that you don't play a prank with things such as jobs. This is a lesson she needs to learn now, rather than later.

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One of my friends from college had this experience with his girlfriend. As a 'prank' she put in his resume that he was part of a well known American hate group. He lost a chance to interview for a position at a prestigious organization he had been recommended for because of that, and it changed his career path.

wyldstallyns111 − Fortunately the hobbies and passions section is the least important part of the resume. It's embarrassing, but a lot of people might not notice, especially if the rest of your resume is solid. It's not goofy enough that anybody is going to gossip about it, probably, so even if she's shot your chances at some of those jobs (which, unfortunately, is not impossible) those managers aren't going to spread the word to anybody else.

It's not interesting enough. I wouldn't bother reapplying with a fixed resume, it might just draw attention to the original mistake if they didn't notice. If they did notice, you'll still look inattentive and sloppy, so it's not worth it IMO. However, in my opinion f**king with somebody's job applications is serious f**king business and your sister ought to get that lesson from this.

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She absolutely intended for you to not notice -- I can't see why else she'd save and close the file like nothing happened. Password protect your computer. Don't accept her s**tty half-apologies. Tell your parents. If they don't take her 'pranks' seriously, there's not a lot you can do, but if it were me I'd be frosty with her for a really long time.

blackfish_xx − I don't know how serious this stupid mistake is. At 18 years old looking for a summer job, not very. I know you're frustrated, but other commenters here have given you excellent advice as to how to proceed. Honestly it is pretty funny. I promise you will look back and understand that in the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal...you may even laugh about it (maybe).

[Reddit User] − Go round to the businesses with a new resume and some fresh garlic bread. But really just consider the percentage of potential employers who received it in the grand scale of things. It's tiny. Just use the motivation to continue applying/sending out resumes.

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gogogirlpan − I once included the sentence 'I enjoy being mentally challenged' on a resume. I meant I like to figure stuff out.

seeyakid − Plot twist: OP corrects the resume and new version has replaced 'garlic bread' with 'garlic toast'.

These takes are spicy, but do they miss the stress of a teen’s first job hunt? Is the sister a brat, or just clueless?

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This teen’s garlic bread debacle is a hilarious reminder that even the best-laid plans can crumble under a sibling’s prank. Her sister’s stunt may not tank her job prospects, but it’s a wake-up call about boundaries and double-checking work. As she navigates this buttery blunder, her story begs the question: can a joke like this open doors or slam them shut? What would you do if your resumé became a punchline? Drop your thoughts below and keep the conversation toasty.

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