‘Hire me and then I will fix it’: Job candidate finds a bug in company’s data dashboard during the interview, hiring manager demands they provide notes on how to fix the issue

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Nov 15, 2025 7:00 PM EST

Have you ever interviewed for a job and felt like the hiring process forces you to do work for the employer before you were even hired for the job?

If that happened to you, know that you are not alone. Many companies will use the information candidates provide them, whether they are new ideas, successful assignments, or even general tips. Then, after they got what they needed, they can reject the candidate without feeling a single ounce of remorse. 

While it might not be what is happening to the job candidate in the story below, the actions of the recruiter are definitely a little bit suspicious…

This job candidate was on the final round of interviews when they found an issue with the company's data dashboard. The interviewer realized that the candidate could fix the issue and asked them to provide notes after the interview was over. However, without an actual job offer, this request seemed inappropriate to the candidate, who suspects they are just going to use this information and move on to another candidate. 

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  • 01
    Man in White Dress Shirt Using Laptop
    via Tima Miroshnichenko

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Should the candidate help the company who have yet to hire them? Scroll down to read the full story and decide for yourselves.

  • 02

    I accidentally fixed their live dashboard during the interview and now they want a writeup before the offer

    So this was a data role with a small product team. Final round on Zoom. I get paired with the hiring manager and one dev for a live case.
    via lindenporter
  • 03
    They share a dashboard that shows daily signup conversion and ask me to walk through why the number dipped last month.
    via lindenporter
  • 04
    Cool. We poke at filters, I ask a few questions, nothing wild. Then I notice a little note that says refreshed at 7 12 AM even though it is afternoon.
    via lindenporter
  • 05
    I ask who schedules the refresh. The dev says cron is fine and waves it off.
    via lindenporter
  • 06
    We keep digging and I open the query editor they gave me read only access. I spot a subtle where clause that drops any events with a null device field.
    via lindenporter
  • 07
    I ask if web events sometimes land with null device. Dev says maybe. We flip the filter and boom the conversion jumps back to a normal level in the preview.
    via lindenporter
  • 08
    I explain the hypothesis. Data backfill missed devices for a few days. The manager goes oh that would explain support tickets.
    via lindenporter
  • 09
    I am feeling good but also nervous because I was not supposed to change anything. I did not write to prod.
    via lindenporter
  • 10
    Only showed the fix in the preview and talked through it. Then the weird part. After the call the recruiter writes that the panel loved the analysis and would like a short writeup of the fix so the team can push a patch.
    via lindenporter
  • 11
    They say this will help them move to the offer stage. My brain goes wait a sec.
    via lindenporter
  • 12
    You want my steps in writing before you decide. I reply that I can summarize the approach at a high level and I add that my notes are for interview purposes only.
    via lindenporter
  • 13
    They respond with smiley emojis and ask for screenshots. I am not kidding. I do want this job.
    via lindenporter
  • 14
    Pay is solid and the team seemed nice. But the ask smells off. I already gave them the why and the likely where.
    via lindenporter
  • 15
    Sending a neat step by step doc feels like unpaid consulting. If they want it in detail then just hire me and I will spend the first hour fixing it.
    via lindenporter
  • 16
    Also I worry about IP stuff. I have no access agreement and zero desire to be That Candidate who handed them a free patch then got ghosted.
    via lindenporter
  • 17
    How would you reply. Is a short summary ok or should I set a boundary like happy to share more after an offer letter is in progress.
    via lindenporter
  • 18
    Any scripts that keep it polite but firm. And for future rounds how do you avoid becoming free labor when a live case accidentally turns into real work.
    via lindenporter
  • 19
    Two men looking at data in computer
    via AndreyPopov

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 20
    Lost-Hospital3388 Tell them that it would be inappropriate to create company documents on a personally owned device, and you're happy to do so on a company device.
    via Lost-Hospital3388
  • 21
    spatialdiffraction Send the summary and then mention due to your lack of access to the system (for understandable security reasons) you're unable to write a step by step solution from memory.
    via spatialdiffraction
  • 22
    Minimum-Chef6469 Simple reply and say if I get hired then of course I am available to help but, I have other job offers and I need to focus on the job that is going to hire me not maybe or possibly.
    via Minimum-Chef6469
  • 23
    monstar98277 "If you're good at something, never do it for free." I don't remember what movie it's from, but it still applies.
    via monstar98277
  • 24
    Background-Slip8205 You didn't make any change if you had read-only. The person sharing a screen with you is 100% responsible, so don't feel bad for anything like that. I would say that I was more than happy to do a technical write up as your first assignment once all the hiring HR documentation is signed.
    via Background-Slip8205
  • 25
    ThickAsAPlankton Free work to resolve a problem they created? lol no. "I'd love to if hired but I am not available for remote consultation on a system to which I have no employee access."
    via ThickAsAPlankton
  • 26
    AV1978 Gonna be ghosted the minute you give them the fix. They have no interest in hiring you
    via AV1978
  • 27
    jaysire Thing is, do you want to work for a company where no one understands what the bug is even after you explain and show them exactly how to fix it? You'd want to work with people who slap themselves across the forehead and exclaim "of course!" And have a PR ready before the interview is over.
    via jaysire
  • 28
    nonsensegalore glad you found my input helpful. happy to provide more upon hiring. lets discuss salary!
    via nonsensegalore

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recruiter workplace-stories employee manager job hiring manager tales-from-the-workplace job candidate reddit story hiring data workplace Reddit company job interview
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