'It Almost Felt Illegal': Techie Impressed By US Hiring Practices, Questions Indian Startups

A Redditor has gone viral for highlighting the difference between hiring practices in India and the USA. The user said it felt almost 'illegal' to compare the hiring practices in the two countries, after interviewing for a US-based startup, where they were adequately compensated for the assignments, in addition to the 'transparent communication' channels.

"I recently got a chance 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 user wrote in the r/developersIndia subreddit.

The techie revealed that they were paid $300 per assignment after the CTO of the company approached them on X (formerly Twitter).

"Here's how it went: Short intro call, Assignment 1 (Paid!), 1:1 interview, Assignment 2 (Paid again!), Group interview, Result (which will be out by Friday). 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."

Drawing parallels in the hiring practices, the user said Indian recruiters requested multiple assignments, which were unpaid and kept the candidates in the dark.

"Compare that to the average Indian company's 'process': two rounds of HR ghosting, five random coding rounds with zero context, two system design calls for a junior role. "One last round" that never ends. Then...silence for 3 weeks."

"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."

The user said the job market would have been so much better if Indian companies paid candidates for real work and didn't treat hiring like a never-ending elimination game filled with cheaters.

"But nah, why do that when you can make people jump through flaming hoops for 6 weeks for a 6 LPA role and then ghost them."

Check the viral post here:

Why can't Indian companies have sane interview processes like US startups?
byu/roniee_259 indevelopersIndia

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'They treat it like...'

As the post went viral, social media users agreed with the Redditor's assessment and shared their experience with foreign companies.

"That's very true. It's the same experience in Indian companies for freshers to people with 2 decades of experience. HR have no respect for the candidate's time and efforts," said one user, while another added: "Most US startups budget specifically for hiring, they treat it like a real investment, not just a formality. Paying for assignments or having a short, clear process is baked into their culture because they know good candidates value time and clarity."

A third commented: "People in the US and Europe really know how to conduct interviews. A few months ago, when I was exploring new job opportunities I got the chance to interview with several companies, and the difference between their interview process and ours was huge."