Startup CEO Puts Job Seeker to the Test with a 6-Hour Work Challenge!
In a bizarre twist in the job hunting saga, a software engineer has claimed that a CEO from a Hong Kong-based startup tricked him into completing nearly six hours of unpaid work, all while pretending it was part of a job interview. The candidate shared his ordeal on Reddit, sparking outrage and discussions about unprofessional recruitment practices.
The Interview That Turned Into a Task
The applicant applied for a software engineering position and found himself in a series of interviews with the startup’s founder. During their discussions, the CEO showed interest in the candidate’s experience with a specific design software that wasn’t even relevant to the job description. This led to another call, supposedly to assess those skills.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
What followed was anything but a standard interview. The CEO allegedly shared production-level files and insisted that the candidate edit them, despite the applicant lacking the necessary software. After spending nearly an hour downloading a trial version, the candidate explained how he would tackle the task and shared details of his past projects. However, the situation escalated when the CEO scheduled another meeting late at night, pushing the candidate to complete the task urgently. Technical difficulties, including repeated software crashes, added to the frustration, forcing the applicant to attempt the task multiple times.
The Ghosting Aftermath
Things took a turn for the worse when the CEO eagerly downloaded the completed files, which the candidate found suspicious. Typically, companies use dummy files for skill assessments, raising red flags about the CEO’s intentions. After submitting the work, the candidate was met with complete silence—he was ghosted.
Community Outrage
The Reddit post quickly gained traction, with users expressing their outrage over the startup’s exploitative behavior. Comments ranged from sympathy for the candidate to calls for accountability, urging others to share their experiences and warn potential applicants about the unprofessional practices of the CEO. This story serves as a reminder of the challenges job seekers face and the importance of transparency in the recruitment process.
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