Job applicant accidentally roasts the company during his job interview, CEO finds it hilariously honest and offers him the job: ‘One guy blinked so hard I thought he rebooted.'

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Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Jul 17, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

Oh boy, that job market, am I right? Interview after interview and you still feel stuck in the mud. But there is hope yet! One Redditor found a fun little hack to get the job—and it involves roasting the CEO.

 

Yup, you heard that correct. The guy doesn't suggest doing this any change you get, but he does encourage being completely honest during an interview. Still try to be as professional and diplomatic as possible. But if they're serving you bs, you should probably let the chef know, ya know? This guy really let the company he was interviewing for have it after he got asked the infamous question, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" A generic question that, honestly, no company really has any business asking. Like, they're interview for the job, that should be enough proof that this person wants to work here…

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  • This job interview, in particular, caught this applicant off guard from the start because he wasn't expecting to walk into a panel of several people from upper management, including the CEO. After getting asked redundant questions and feeling like they're not even listening to his responses, his reflexes kicked in. So when he got asked that annoying five year question, his default witty sarcasm kicked in before his professional brain did and roasted the company and their ridiculous interviewing process. 

     

    Luckily, the CEO was on his side… And he got the job! 

  • Cheezburger Image 10531490048
    via Unsplash+ (and Dylan Gillis)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "That one job interview where I accidentally roasted the CEO and somehow still got hired."

    A couple years ago, I was deep in the job hunt trenches sending out résumés, ghosted by recruiters, going to interviews that felt more like interrogations. You know the vibe.
    via HornetPhysical9667
  • I finally landed an in- person interview at this mid-sized tech company. Nothing fancy, but a real opportunity. The catch? It was a panel interview with five people. At once. Sitting across from me like a judgment tribunal.
    via HornetPhysical9667
  • I was trying to keep my cool, but halfway through, I was running low on both energy and patience. Then someone asked that classic: "So, where do you see yourself in five years?"
    via HornetPhysical9667
  • Before my brain could intervene, I just said: "Hopefully somewhere that doesn't schedule five people to ask me the same question in slightly different ways."
    via HornetPhysical9667
  • Immediate silence. Like, someone might've stopped breathing. One guy blinked so hard I thought he rebooted. Another choked slightly on their water. I was 95% sure I had just sabotaged the whole thing.
    via HornetPhysical9667
  • Then the guy in the center older, suit, intimidating CEO energy started laughing. Not just a chuckle. A genuine laugh. He leaned back and said, "You know what? That's fair."
    via HornetPhysical9667
  • Turns out, he was the actual CEO, and he hated their over the top interview process too. The rest of the interview got way more relaxed after that. We talked like normal people. It ended with a handshake and "We'll be in touch."
    via HornetPhysical9667
  • Two days later, I got the offer. So yeah being a little honest (even accidentally spicy) can sometimes break the corporate script in your favor. Just maybe don't make it a habit.
    via HornetPhysical9667
  • Cheezburger Image 10531510528
    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • BunBun_75 That's the place you want to work. And good on that CEO for taking it like a champ.
    via BunBun_75
  • Calm DownReddit509 Haha, well done. It's hard to know what kind of person you're hiring these days because everybody is so desperate for a job, so by being real with them you can cut straight through most of the bulls Good job OP. •
    via CalmDownReddit509
  • BlueCozmiqRays "Before my brain could intervene" I felt this to my core!
    via BlueCozmiqRays
  • pohqua-etu This is actually a great way to stand out from other (ass-kissing) candidates!! Make an impression that shows your critical-thinking skills and also that you're not afraid to point out areas of opportunity.
    via pohqua-etu
  • Companies value that over the type of person who just echoes what they say or only says what they think managers want to hear. Don't try this at home, but I actually called out a former ceo for how badly he handled a merger with the conglomerate that acquired us. His new
    via pohqua-etu
  • managers demoted him and I haven't heard of him ever since. But I was promoted and transferred to an international team, which is better than getting fired for publicly criticizing your boss.
    via pohqua-etu
  • KnowledgeSeveral 9502 Honesty pays off sometimes, especially when you are talking to confident people. My ex-husband went for a job interview at an oil company years ago. They asked some questions and he had absolutely no clue what the question meant nor what the
    via KnowledgeSeveral9502
  • correct response was because he had no oil company experience. He straight up told them he had no clue what the answer was, but one thing he knew was, he was a fast learner and was willing to learn all about that topic when got hired. That was the answer that got him the job over 100s of others with experience.
    via KnowledgeSeveral9502

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