After Work-18-Hours Fiasco, Interview Hacks Are New LinkedIn Bomb

After 'Work-18-Hours' Fiasco, 'Interview Hacks' Are New LinkedIn Bomb

Pristyn Care co-founder Harsimarbir Singh appeared to have taken down the post.

New Delhi:

The work culture division of the internet’s outrage club had barely dropped their pitchforks pointed at the CEO who asked young professionals to work 18 hours a day, when along came the co-founder of a health-tech company with his “interview hacks” to “filter” people.

Pristyn Care co-founder Harsimarbir Singh’s now-deleted post triggered many on social media, beyond LinkedIn, after he espoused making job-seeking candidates wait for 6 to 8 hours in office (to test their patience), regularly scheduling interviews for Sunday and late at night or early in the morning, and even asking candidates elsewhere in the country to show up in office the next day.

According to Mr Singh, these methods help him identify early risers, late workers, test their real-world thinking, their hustle, culture and patience, commitment and whether they are okay with long working hours.

Reactions to the post were swift and unsparing, with many accusing the entrepreneur of encouraging a toxic work culture.

The controversy over Harsimarbir Singh’s suggestions come hot on the heels of one involving Bombay Shaving Company CEO Shantanu Deshpande, who was slammed for an online post advising freshers to put in 18 hours at work in the first few years of their career.

In a LinkedIn post, Mr Deshpande had asked young employees to “worship your work” and said work-life balance is not important in the early stages of one’s career. “Don’t do random rona-dhona. Take it on the chin and be relentless. You will be way better for it,” he had said.

The magnitude of the backlash became all too apparent on Saturday when the CEO announced he would quit posting on the social networking website, adding that his post has been misunderstood.

“To those who were hurt by my post – apologies for the same. I recognise the need for nuance and context. This interview last evening possibly captured my point of view better. If time permits, do watch it,” Mr Deshpande wrote in what he called his “last post”.

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