A candidate who applied for an internship at a cryptocurrency firm recently shared what he described as the "worst interview experience" of his career with Yao Meng, the CEO of Trade Terminal. Taking to LinkedIn, Peiyuan Jin, a software Engineer intern in the US, said that he was interviewing for the Quant Developer Intern position at the California-based company. For the fourth round of the hiring process, he had an interview with the firm's CEO, Yao Meng. However, in his post, Mr Jin criticised Mr Meng for his "unprofessional and demeaning" behaviour.
"From the start, as I began my self-introduction, he interrupted me to mock my experience as a software engineer at John Deere, expressing disbelief that a tractor company would even need software services," Mr Jin shared. He went on to say that when he tried to discuss his previous projects, Mr Meng kept interrupting with condescending questions and belittled him for not thinking big.
Take a look at the post below:
Mr Jin said that the CEO also boasted that once, as an intern, he convinced his manager to quit and join him in a crypto venture. "The interview, which lasted only 7 minutes, ended with him humiliating me by saying, "I'm a billionaire because I think big, but look at you-you've accomplished nothing'" the intern revealed.
Mr Jin ended his post by calling on higher management to be more respectful and professional while engaging with juniors. "No candidate should have to endure this kind of treatment, regardless of their background or the companies they've worked for. Interviews should be a respectful and constructive dialogue, where both parties can engage meaningfully. I hope that by sharing this, others feel empowered to speak up about their experiences and that companies take responsibility to ensure their interview processes are fair, respectful, and professional," he wrote.
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Mr Jin shared the post just two days back. Since then, it has accumulated more than 2,500 reactions. In the comments section, users slammed the CEO.
"Well done for calling this out. I've had interviews where I get constantly interrupted, and where they constantly ask whether I've used their favourite software (this isn't "thinking big" by the way - it's asking you why you don't think like them, which is actually kinda limited!). Both kinds of behaviour demonstrate that these aren't the companies you want to work for (even though that's quite painful to admit in today's job market)," wrote one user.
"Wow It's really disheartening to hear about experiences like this. Interviews should be a space for constructive dialogue and mutual respect, not a platform for tearing someone down. Thanks for speaking up," commented another.
"The fact that he was confused as to how tractor work today is a testament that he's not actually that serious," expressed a third user. "If he actually thought big he should've asked about how a tractor company needs software services. I think you got lucky avoiding a company that doesn't have vision," commented a fourth user.
