College student insults woman on LinkedIn, she turns out to be his job interviewer later on

It wouldn't be wrong to say that finding a job in today's times is much easier than finding one decades ago. In the age of job-search platforms like LinkedIn and Naukri.com, connecting with potential recruiters is easier. But, if you aren't careful of your actions online, they can do more harm than good. Something similar happened with a college students who disrespected a woman on LinkedIn. Later on, he found out that the same woman was his job interviewer. The story has been shared online and is going viral.

What really happened

The story of this unexpected twist of fate was shared by Pranav Mehta, a software engineer and founder of A Code Daily, on the social media platform X.

Mehta, who previously worked at Microsoft and studied at IIT, shared the incident involving one of his female friends who works at a startup. According to Mehta's post, the student had approached his friend on LinkedIn a few weeks ago, asking for a referral for an SDE-1 (Software Development Engineer) position at her company. When she reviewed his resume, she felt it needed improvement and politely suggested that he work on it further before applying.

However, instead of taking her feedback positively, the student reacted in an inappropriate manner. He began insulting the woman, dismissing her as a “diversity hire” and questioning her ability to advise him.

"This guy started belittling and shaming her for being a "diversity hire", and that she wasn't capable of advising him," Mehta wrote.

This unwarranted response not only displayed poor judgment but also a lack of respect for someone willing to help him improve his application.

The twist of fate

Despite this unpleasant interaction, the student eventually managed to secure a referral from another source and proceeded with the application process. But then something that he didn't see coming happened. When he sat down for his first round of interview, he found himself face-to-face with the very same woman he had insulted on LinkedIn. Mehta described how the student was visibly shaken when he realised the situation, saying, “Karma bites you back in ways you can't even fathom.”

According to Mehta, his friend remained professional throughout the interview and did not let the past incident influence her assessment of his candidacy. However, the student’s initial bravado seemed to have vanished, replaced by nervousness as he faced the person he had earlier disrespected.

This story is a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining professionalism and humility, especially in the age of social media. What you say online can have real-world consequences, and in the tight-knit tech industry, word travels fast.