A routine hiring call turned unexpectedly tense for a startup CEO, who was left questioning professional etiquette after what he described as one of his strangest interview experiences.
In a Reddit post, the CEO described how a senior academic, a professor and dean, had applied for a leadership role at his startup, Zenark, through LinkedIn.
“Applied to my startup, then grilled me like I was the candidate,” the caption of the post reads.
According to the post, early conversations over messages appeared positive, with the applicant showing genuine interest and strongly pitching himself as a suitable candidate.
Based on this, the CEO, Wajahat Sayeed, scheduled a call to take the discussion forward.
However, the tone shifted dramatically as soon as the call began.
Interview turns into interrogation:
Instead of a balanced discussion, the candidate immediately began asking a rapid series of pointed questions. These included queries about the CEO’s education, the nature of his MBBS degree, the size of the team, the company’s registration, and even whether the startup had a website.
{{/usCountry}}Instead of a balanced discussion, the candidate immediately began asking a rapid series of pointed questions. These included queries about the CEO’s education, the nature of his MBBS degree, the size of the team, the company’s registration, and even whether the startup had a website.
{{/usCountry}}“It genuinely felt like I was being interrogated… or worse, like I was sitting in a viva,” the CEO wrote.
The CEO said he was unable to learn anything about the candidate’s background, motivations, or reasons for applying.
Before the CEO could even explain the role or outline the company’s vision, the candidate abruptly ended the call, stating he was not interested.
While rejection itself was not the issue, the CEO said the candidate’s attitude left a lasting impression. The interaction raised broader questions for him about workplace dynamics and whether some individuals still rely on hierarchy, age, or titles to assert dominance in professional settings.
“Honestly, it wasn’t even the rejection that bothered me. It was the attitude,” the post adds.
Check out the post here:
Here's how people reacted to the post:
Reddit users criticised the candidate’s behaviour, saying it came across as overly authoritative.
One of the users commented, “Don't pay much heed to this. Sometimes people feel their experience and age, no matter how relevant, give them authority over the other person.”
A second user commented, “He's likely bitter in life and jealous of you.”
A third user commented, “You could have taken the charge. Interrupt, remind whose interview it is, and you’re here to analyse, not to prove subtly and gently.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)