Can he guess your job in 2 minutes? Meet Max, the man behind 'Career Ladder'

USA Today

3 hours ago

'It's kind of crazy because initially, no one wanted to get on,' Max Klymenko said. 'Now ... there's sometimes hundreds of people who line up ... to be on the ladder.'
Max Klymenko has had anything but an ordinary career path, and now the 30-year-old is guessing what other people do for a living, all while standing on a ladder.
The Ukrainian native may have studied in law school, but he is now a content creator who boasts more than 3.17 million YouTube subscribers, known for his quickly growing series, "Career Ladder." In short vertical videos, Klymenko stands on the back rungs of a ladder, inviting one guest at a time to hop on the front side. In just two minutes, he attempts to guess the guest's career through a series of questions. Sometimes he guesses the career correctly, and other times, he doesn't quite get there, allowing them to keep their jobs a secret or share them with viewers. (They often opt for the latter).
Most of the questions Klymenko asks are relevant to identifying a person's career, but others feel a bit more obscure, like, "If your career was a food, what would it be?" But Klymenko said all of the questions are a way to connect with those on the other side of the ladder.
"I am more looking for interesting conversations. I'm looking for moments. I'm almost looking to stumble across the guess by chance (rather) than on purpose. I am trying to guess, but that's not the only thing I'm doing," Klymenko told USA TODAY. "I also want to have a fun conversation. I want the person to open up."
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How did 'Career Ladder' get started?
"Career Ladder" began a little more than a year ago, and it's not Klymenko's first series. He's been creating video content for about eight years, starting when he was in college. In addition to a law degree, Klymenko also studied economics, business and sociology. For the past three years, he's been a full-time content creator.
Klymenko said he'd been looking for a way to discuss careers without the biases that accompany those conversations, such as someone's appearance, income or where they live. He and his team of about six other creators began brainstorming how Klymenko could converse with people about their jobs in his way, including possibly having him blindfolded or turned away from guests. But Klymenko also knew he wanted the videos to be filmed vertically, so he needed a method that would be conducive to this narrower visual structure.
"I remember, I was coming out of the bus and I was like, 'A ladder. We could be standing on a ladder talking about jobs,'" Klymenko recounted. "And then we were like, 'Okay, a job ladder.' Then we were like, 'Wait, a career ladder ... the concept, the corporate thing.'"
With the idea in mind, Klymenko said he and his team bought a ladder, but it sat in their office for about two months before they hit the streets and interviewed anyone. Then one day, when another shoot fell through, it felt like the right opportunity to test the concept.
At first, Klymenko had trouble getting people to hop up on the ladder to chat, but as of Monday, Aug. 11, Klymenko and his team have recorded about 2,000 "Career Ladder" interviews. Only about 300 have been posted to social media.
Followers may think Klymenko is working from a backlog, but Klymenko told USA TODAY he and his team film interviews several days a week, for about seven hours per day. Most recently, Klymenko filmed "Career Ladder" videos in the Baltic Sea region, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
"It's kind of crazy because initially, no one wanted to get on," Klymenko said with a chuckle. "And now, we just don't have enough time for everybody who wants to be on. There's sometimes hundreds of people who line up ... and they want to be on the ladder. In London, we had to get the police to help us manage the crowd."
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Among the 2,000 interviews, Klymenko has interviewed several influential people.
In one of the most-viewed "Career Ladder" episodes, which as of Tuesday, Aug. 12, had more than 22.6 million views on TikTok, Klymenko unknowingly interviews Belgian fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, known for creating the wrap dress. It's evident in the video that Klymenko is not familiar with von Furstenberg, and he ends the video by calling his mother, who gasps in surprise because he's just chatted with such a prominent person.
In another popular video, Klymenko interviews Zoë Lister, the voice actress known for the now-viral line, "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday," in an advertisement campaign. He was also unable to guess Lister's career.
And in another, Klymenko interviews none other than Shaquille O'Neal in Times Square. Although Klymenko is familiar with Shaq's NBA career, he guesses what he is up to these days, which happens to be a promotion for the Shaq Scholars Program.
"If you fail, I'ma give you a spanking," the 7-foot-1-inch tall Basketball Hall of Fame center says before Klymenko begins guessing his job.
What is the future of 'Career Ladder'?
Klymenko hopes to travel more with "Career Ladder" in the future and eventually hopes to make a stop in his hometown of Mykolaiv, he said.
Klymenko said he is also open to more long-form content, such as conducting follow-up interviews with those he has met on the ladder, trying out different jobs himself – a sketch he has done in a few other YouTube videos – or even helping people find jobs.
Where can you watch 'Career Ladder'?
"Career Ladder" is available to watch on Klymenko's social media platforms, including TikTok and YouTube.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [e-mail].