Dubai-based founder flags concern after Gen Z candidate questions basic company details: ‘Being young isn’t an excuse'

Mahima Jalan criticised a Gen Z candidate for not knowing company basics.

Candidates are often asked tricky questions in job interviews, but one recent Gen Z candidate left a founder completely stunned with a simple query.

The Dubai-based founder shared the incident on X (formerly Twitter). (@mahimajalann/Instagram)

Mahima Jalan, Dubai-based founder of Sorted Brand, shared the incident on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting what she sees as a worrying trend among younger professionals.

“Gen Z has a different way of working,” the caption of the post reads.

Founder calls out poor preparation:

According to the post, the candidate asked Jalan, “What’s your company called and what do you do?” even though the job description, hiring message, and emails had already been shared.

The question left her surprised, as not knowing basic company details during a job interview is considered poor work etiquette, regardless of age.

“The job description, hiring message, and emails were already shared. Not knowing basic details is poor work etiquette. Being young isn’t an excuse.” Jalan adds.

Jalan emphasised that serious businesses cannot run on vibes alone. They rely on preparation and ownership. Knowing key information about a company is part of showing professionalism and respect for the interviewer.

“Even for a 15-minute call, I research the client. Serious businesses don’t run on vibes. They run on ownership and preparation,” she adds.

HT.com has reached out to the user for more details. This report will be updated when she responds.

Check out the post here:

Here's how people reacted to the post:

The post sparked widespread discussion online, with some people saying the question reflected a lack of preparation and professionalism.

One of the users commented, “In the era of phone scrolling, employees are not willing to take ownership and work. They prefer an easy life, and all work ethics are blamed with a fancy name of stress and work-life balance.”

“But companies are treating people like shit, so it is not advisable to respect companies,” another user commented.