Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

'Endless Talk About Hiring For Culture Fit But...': Redditor Compares Interview Process Of Indian Firms Vs US Startup


(MENAFN- Live Mint) A Reddit user hailed the“sane interview” procedure of US-based startups and compared it to the average, never-ending“process” at Indian companies, and wondered why the two were so different.

In a now-viral post, the Redditor claimed that he had recently had the opportunity to interview with a US-based startup.“Their interview process was so refreshing, it almost felt illegal compared to the circus we have in India,” the techie said.

The Redditor shared that he underwent four rounds under the US hiring process, which included paid assignments.“Short intro call, Assignment 1 (PAID!) 1:1 interview, Assignment 2 (PAID AGAIN!) Group interview.”

But what surprised him the most was the swift result -“RESULT will be out by Friday”

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The Redditor noted that the hiring process was“structured, respectful and fair”.“It was structured, respectful of time, and they paid for the work I did. Even if they reject me, it will feel fair because they valued my effort.”

He then compared it to the hiring process at Indian companies, which often involves multiple unpaid assignments, multi-level interviews, and HR ghosting - highlighting a stark difference between the two.

“...the average Indian company's 'process': 2 rounds of HR ghosting 5 random coding rounds with 0 context 2 system design calls for a junior role. 'One last round' that never ends. Then... silence for 3 weeks. HR finally replies: 'We went ahead with another candidate',” the Redditor noted.

The techie continued to rant about how Indian firms treat potential candidates like unpaid interns, often expecting free assignments

“You spend 2–3 days building an entire feature, and they just vanish. Some even have the audacity to use your code in production,” he said.

Also Read | Indian founder hires developer without a 'technical interview' – did it pay off? 'Endless talk about hiring for culture fit'

The Redditor said Indian companies talk endlessly about 'hiring for culture fit' but don't even have the decency to respect people's time or effort.“Meanwhile, US startups , despite being way smaller, actually pay you for trial work and maintain professional communication.”

He also shared simple tweaks in hiring processes that can benefit the Indian job market:

  • Paid candidates for real work samples.
  • Kept communication transparent.
  • Didn't treat hiring like a never-ending elimination game filled with cheaters.

Also Read | GST revamp may spur hiring as companies boost output to meet festive demand Here's how netizens reacted:

Netizens resonated with the viral Reddit post and shared their thoughts about it in the comment section.

“Irony is hiring for culture fit in India is a page torn out of respectful startups and companies which actually have culture. Indian origin companies run like a butcher business where there is no culture whatsoever,” a social media user said.

“Just playing with words like 'Work hard, Play harder' or some shit when in reality they are building another parcel delivery app. Founders in India should learn a thing or two about culture,” added another user.

“Our people lack culture in general; we only like boasting about our 1000-year-old culture. I've found most companies don't even pretend to respect employees. Bachelors are expected to work extra, interns are unpaid, work is micromanaged, leaves and salary hikes are always a fight with managers/hr,” a user said.

“Very few companies manage to break this mould, and even in those, there are the officious folk who value looking busy over actual end result. That said with things are getting better, ive been working in this field for 10 years now and i can see a cultural improvement as we mature, I suspect Gen Z managers will fix a lot of these issues and help improve work conditions,” they added.

“People in the US and Europe really know how to conduct interviews,” exclaimed another user, sharing their personal experience.

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