A candidate applied for a software role at a Hong Kong startup. The CEO noticed they had expertise with a specific design tool and scheduled a series of late-night "interview" calls. During each session, the candidate was directed to edit production-level files — real work for real clients. After six accumulated hours, the CEO downloaded the finished files and vanished. No offer, no response, no payment. "I'd been used," the candidate wrote.
True story · takehome abuse · Issue —
The 'interview' was six hours of live production edits.
As told to the Host · Storyteller verified · Anonymous · Hong Kong startup · via r/recruitinghell
View source →ApplicationCEO 'interview' call 1CEO 'interview' call 2Files downloaded, ghosted
More stories
All stories →A Year of Applying, Two Panels of Four — Then the Rejection Was Automatic
Candidate · via r/recruitinghell
The Recruiter Told Him to Ask for $15,000 More — and the Offer Came In Higher
Candidate · via r/interviews