‘If you don’t know your weaknesses, don’t apply’: Startup CEO’s rejection email sparks backlash

A Reddit user recently shared a rejection email they received after interviewing with the British CEO of a London-based startup — and the detailed feedback has sparked debate online. The candidate said the 25-minute interview included questions like, “What’s something you do better than anyone else?” and “Is there someone who might think you’re not suitable for this role?”

While the applicant tried to answer thoughtfully, saying they could provide references to vouch for their work, they admitted feeling unsure about what the CEO was looking for. “I just find these to be really mediocre questions to assess a candidate’s personality and ability to do a role,” they wrote, adding that the CEO didn’t ask anything about their actual skills.

Soon after, they received a rejection email explaining the reason behind the decision. The CEO wrote that while the candidate met most of the criteria, they struggled to identify their own weaknesses — something the company values as part of a “growth mindset.”

The email read: “You weren’t able to tell me why someone would not hire you, or give any true constructive feedback… We put big emphasis on our team knowing their weaknesses (we all have them). Without knowing what they are, it’s hard for someone to have a growth mindset.”

The candidate said they left the interview feeling uneasy and even considered withdrawing their application. “Working with him sounds exhausting,” they added.

The post has since gone viral, with many users debating whether the CEO’s approach was insightful or overly critical.

“It sounds like you dodged questions that were important to him. It’s a rather cordial rejection letter. It actually gave you feedback on how to do better in the future and told you to stay in touch,” a user wrote. 

“It’s a very thoughtful response, so I’m reluctant to say that you dodged a bullet. There’s so much gamesmanship around that particular interview question that I think candidates are really discouraged from simply telling the best version of the truth they can,” a second user said. 

A third user commented: “Bro these CEOs are out of their minds. Recently an interview I was asked about what jobs I did in highschool and what kind of international travel I had done. They were thrilled that I had worked in a yogurt shop before. Mind you this is for a data engineering position.”

“Typical narcissist/egotistical startup CEO nonsense. I stopped interviewing with startups in 2019, the “executives” are always trash,” yet another user said.