A candidate’s account of his interview experience at Goldman Sachs, which he says took place around 20 years ago, has drawn attention online after he shared that he turned down an offer following a final interview “surprise”. Shared on X, the post describes a long 12-round hiring process that ended with an unexpected twist in the final stage, after which he decided not to proceed with the job.
A long interview process and an unexpected final round
The post was shared on X by user Rahul Jain in response to a question asking whether anyone had ever changed their mind about a job during an interview.
He wrote, “After 12 rounds of interviews at Goldman Sachs in Bangalore, I was called for the final manager round to discuss salary. The hiring manager was polite and showed me around the office. We spoke casually and discussed compensation, which was good but not great.”
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He added that the final meeting took an unexpected turn just before it ended. “He said he had one more question and gave me a logic puzzle to solve. He then said, ‘This is what life at Goldman Sachs is all about. You have to always be ready for such surprises.’”
Jain wrote that this moment influenced his decision. “I went back home and called the recruiter to say I did not want to proceed further. I am sure the hiring manager handled that surprise well.”
{{/usCountry}}Jain wrote that this moment influenced his decision. “I went back home and called the recruiter to say I did not want to proceed further. I am sure the hiring manager handled that surprise well.”
{{/usCountry}}Take a look:
How social media reacted
The post sparked debate among users, with many questioning the need for such a long interview process.
One user commented, “Would you have changed your decision if the compensation was significantly better? I think I would have overlooked it if the money or brand value was strong enough.”
Another wrote, “Twelve rounds just to decide what exactly? Whether someone can handle pressure and still continue working?”
A third user added, “You went through 12 rounds only to realise at the end that you did not want the job?”
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Others questioned the structure of the process itself, with one saying, “Twelve rounds for someone with 15 to 20 years of experience seems excessive. Can’t capability be assessed in fewer rounds?”
(Disclaimer: Hindustantimes.com has reached out to Goldman Sachs for an official response regarding the claims made in the post about its interview process. The copy will be updated if and when a response is received.)