Self-described ex-Google, ex-OpenAI 'career coach' pitches paid interview platform to job seeker

A job seeker on Reddit’s r/recruitinghell has shared unsolicited advice from a stranger that ended in a sales pitch.

The original poster said they received a reply from a user who claimed to have spent a decade at Google and most recently worked at OpenAI and ran a career services company for four years, working with “thousands of job seekers.” None of those claims could be verified.

The message ended with an offer: “We’re in the process of launching a new platform that pretty much guarantees job interviews, else we don’t charge anything. LMK if you want a promo code.”

The original poster user quickly responded. “Charging job applicants for obtaining interviews is perhaps the most predatory thing I can think of. Especially in this job market,” they wrote, pointing out that platforms such as Indeed, ZipRecruiter and applicant tracking software charge employers, not candidates. “Your business model is immorally backwards.”

According to the original poster, the account was deleted within minutes.

They also noted the advice that preceded the pitch had been to be less proactive in their search than they had planned. “I should take him at his word, right? No ulterior motive whatsoever?” they wrote sarcastically. “If you stalk Reddit to take advantage of job seekers, you are scum. Period.”

What Reddit said

Not everyone dismissed the idea outright. “I’d pay honestly,” one commenter wrote. “Better than wasting my time sending out applications no one will read and losing out on thousands of potential income by being unemployed.” It is a telling reflection of how desperate the search has become for some.

A recruiter in the thread disagreed firmly. “As a recruiter, this is bad. Getting an interview shouldn’t be an expense. The employers should ALWAYS be the ones paying.”

Another commenter said the tactic is far from new, recalling fee-based recruiters in the late 1990s and 2000s who claimed inside connections and charged between US$500 and US$1,500 for a guaranteed in-person interview.

Others reacted with open hostility towards the user who made the pitch. “I don’t wish them success as an entrepreneur. I wish them all the harm that can befall their greedy ass,” their comment said.

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