An Indian product manager based in Canada has shared how he believes a single question during an interview cost him a job offer.
Karan Gogna, a principal product manager, recalled the incident in a LinkedIn post, saying that he had successfully cleared every interview for a startup in the used-car sector. However, what transpired next became a life lesson he still remembers years later.
"I lost a job offer by asking one question. I had cleared every round of interviews. HR had already asked for my documents to move forward," Gogna wrote in the LinkedIn post, adding that the same evening, the HR called again to inform him that the company's CEO wanted one final meeting before moving ahead.
"I told myself I would just go and give my best," he said. He also wrote that the conversation with the CEO went smoothly and he felt confident about receiving an offer. But as the conversation drew to a close, Gogna said that the interview took an unexpected turn.
He recalled that at the end of the interview, the CEO asked whether he had any questions. Wanting to ask something thoughtful. Gogna said that he raised a strategic question about the company's plans.
{{/usCountry}}He recalled that at the end of the interview, the CEO asked whether he had any questions. Wanting to ask something thoughtful. Gogna said that he raised a strategic question about the company's plans.
{{/usCountry}}"Are you planning to enter the two-wheeler market?" Gogna recalled asking the CEO.
But instead of answering it directly, the CEO turned the question back to him, asking, "What do you think? Should we?"
Gogna said that while he had researched the company's four-wheeler business, he admitted that he had not prepared for a discussion on two-wheelers. "I had done my homework on the four-wheeler space but I had nothing on two-wheelers. I fumbled through an answer that had no real point of view behind it," he wrote.
Gogna said that the following day, HR informed him that the company had decided to move ahead with another candidate. "And like many others before me, my profile would stay in their system," he added.
Reflecting on the experience, Gogna said that he believes the interview itself had gone well, but the final question changed the outcome.
"We spend so much time preparing answers and almost no time preparing our questions. Your closing question is the last data point they get on how you think, so treat it with the same seriousness. Know why you are asking it, and be ready in case it comes right back at you," he said.
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Social media reactions
The post resonated with some professionals, who shared similar interview experiences and offered their own perspectives.
One user wrote, "I can totally relate to this, I once asked a startup founder if you are still getting funding in this bad market, I was childish to ask this, I remember the expression. Now i can understand the pain it takes to build a company and disrespecting it knowingly / unknowingly is really not good."
Another, however, disagreed with Gogna's conclusion, writing, "I think blaming the outcome on the question is a bit misleading. The real evaluation by that interviewer was maybe how you handled ambiguity when the question was turned back on you. It is a little stupid in my opinion to turn the question back on the person asking the question but handling a situation like that live and being prepared is a different skill than just asking good questions as mentioned."