How far should a job seeker go to satisfy an interviewer’s paranoia? For one mid-level professional, the limit was reached after sitting blindly with folded hands for 20 minutes during a high-stakes virtual interview. Intending to transition into a global multinational company, the candidate endured a gruelling, robotic screening process designed to prevent technological malpractice. However, when the flawed system falsely accused the candidate of using artificial intelligence to cheat, they decided to walk away entirely, sharing that no corporate opportunity is worth sacrificing one's core self-respect.The job seeker's post about a bizarre interview has gone viral. (Representative image). (Unsplash)The job seeker posted, “Interview Experience after 7 years. Asked me hold my hands to the camera,” adding, “After 7 years in the professional space (5 years of solid experience in a mid-tier consultancy specializing in audits and RTR services, semi-qualified CA), I am finally back in the job market. I’ve always aspired to transition to an MNC, and my profile has luckily been getting good traction from BPO and BPM recruiters lately.”Also Read: Pune techie says manager ‘fought’ to protect him from extra work during notice period: ‘God I am lucky’The candidate explained that during an interview with a company which is “a massive, global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting”, the job seeker was asked to keep their hands up and visible to the camera.“I complied. Mid-way through, I received a strict warning: if I move my hands, the interview will be halted and my candidature cancelled. To avoid any issues, I kept my hands up and folded them.”However, that's not all. Soon after, when a second interviewer appeared, the candidate was asked to close their eyes while answering questions.“Then, Interviewer 2 took over. He literally asked me to close my eyes before he asked a question and keep them closed while giving my reply. I did it, but as the follow-up questions kept coming, I completely lost my patience. By this point, I had been sitting with my hands up in a Namaste position for 20 continuous minutes. If anyone had walked into my room out of context, it looked like I was praying to my tablet and chanting.”Eventually, the candidate stopped answering the questions. During the interview process, the candidate claims the system falsely accused them of using agentic AI.“I am a professional who takes integrity seriously. If I don't know an answer, I openly say ‘I don't know, but I'm willing to learn.’ I complied with every single one of their ridiculous, degrading requests, only for their broken proctoring software to flag me anyway.”How did social media react?An individual posted, “I think this was a rather extreme and exaggerated way to ensure you weren't an AI or using AI to give the interview. But there are other ways to ensure that; this was just nonsense.” Another added, “Would you have preferred to work at a place like this? Good early red flags detected.”A third commented, “W** this is not an interview but a humiliation ritual. Much better ways to ensure candidates are not using AI.”Also Read: Candidate tells HR they’re ‘highly unprofessional’, blocks them interview no-showA fourth wrote, “They must be using AI to detect if the interviewee is using AI. If companies are so serious about hiring the right candidate, they’ll conduct an in-person interview rather than relying on some stupid software and wasting candidates' time by asking them to sit in a full lotus position and close their eyes. This is just ridiculous!!!(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)