Job interview gone wrong: Indian-origin CEO's LinkedIn post goes viral; sparks Internet uproar

A recent LinkedIn post by an Indian-origin CEO in the United States has sparked a social media storm. In an unlikely move, the CEO tagged a job candidate’s current employer in a post following a disappointing interview.

The move was red-flagged by netizens, who labelled it a breach of professional etiquette. The viral post quickly drew criticism and trolling online, with users calling him a “straight-up red flag”, and advising him not to be “this salty over a candidate”.

Here's what happened:

According to a Hindustan Times report, the Chicago-based CEO and founder called out the job seeker in his viral LinkedIn post and accused him of ghosting after the interview. He said the candidate “showcased an alarming lack of respect during his interview process with us”.

Post-interview, the CEO said, “He displayed rude behaviour, ignored follow-up communications, and failed to respond to calls, reflecting a complete disregard for our time and efforts.” He also accused the candidate of having a “money-driven mindset,” among other traits.

But what irked the Internet the most was when the entrepreneur tagged the candidate and his current employer in the viral post.

How did the candidate react:

On being tagged in the founder's LinkedIn post, the candidate, a mobile app developer, accused the interviewer of using offensive language during their interaction and creating a “toxic and unethical” interview environment.

Social media users react:

The founder's post was shared on Reddit, where social media users, who were in disbelief over the tagging, slammed him for revealing the candidate's identity.

"Being this salty over a candidate as a CEO is crazy. It’s never that serious dude," a user said.

“How to ensure no one ever wants to interview with you or work for you ever again. This dude seems toxic,” a user remarked.

“If his presentation skills and attitude were so poor, why were they chasing him so desperately?” added another user.

CEO clarifies:

Talking to HT.com, the Indian-origin founder alleged that the candidate was using his company's offer letter to get a hike at his current workplace.

“The candidate wanted a significant hike from his past CTC, which we agreed on only because we urgently required an app developer,” he told HT, adding that the candidate asked his firm to send him an offer letter mentioning the new hike.

“We later got to know that he wanted that offer letter to make his current company give the same hike,” he said.

The founder also refuted the claims of being a “toxic” organisation and said the interview sessions are recorded with the candidate's consent. “I can make sure it was definitely not unethical in any way,” he added.

HT.com had also reached out to the job seeker for his perspective. However, it received no response so far.