Rejected for being too chill? Indian techie shares bizarre startup interview experience
Social media is full of job seekers sharing bizarre reasons for being rejected by recruiters. Recently, an Indian techie added to the list with a rejection that raised eyebrows, leaving him wondering what actually determines a good candidate.
In a post shared with the software developers community in India on Reddit, the techie anonymously revealed that he was shocked by the reason he was given after being rejected for a software development role.
"I was interviewing for a company for an SDE role. The rounds were like this: The first round was an introductory round, the second was a take-home assignment, and the third round was a technical round followed by an HR round," he said.
According to him, the feedback throughout the process was positive, until he was suddenly told that he was no longer being considered for the role.
"I was a little confused as the interview went well. So I asked the recruiter for feedback to know what went wrong because the recruiter attended every interview I gave. The recruiter called me and said everything was good, even my answers were satisfactory, but the HR said that 'I was relaxed during the interview, that's why she thinks I am not a good fit for a startup,'" he revealed.
The techie said he was so taken aback by the response that he thought it was a joke and started laughing.
"It is such a stupid reason. I have worked my whole career in startups, and this HR thinks that being relaxed during an interview makes me unfit for startups. Even the recruiter was confused by such a statement from HR, and said sorry for wasting my time. Interviews are just normal conversation; there's nothing to be nervous about if you have confidence in your skills. I really don't understand what the companies are looking for right now," he said.
The bizarre reason for rejection left many social media users stunned. While some said the techie dodged a bullet, others shared similar stories of being rejected for strange reasons.
"You are saved. They were looking for someone they could intimidate or boss around. You gave them a chill vibe, which they don't want around their other employees," said one user.
Another wrote, "This one time I got rejected. I was waiting outside the building and met my interviewer. He came out to smoke. He told me I had a drunken accent and seemed too relaxed and not enthusiastic."
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