An Indian product manager based in Canada has shared how he believes a single question during a job interview cost him an offer, describing the experience as a lasting lesson about interview preparation.
Karan Gogna, a principal product manager, said in a LinkedIn post that he had successfully cleared every interview round for a startup in the used-car sector. According to him, the human resources team had already requested his documents to move the hiring process forward.
CEO requested one final interview
Gogna said that later the same day, the HR team informed him that the company's CEO wanted to conduct one final interview before proceeding with the offer.
He said he approached the meeting determined to perform well and felt the discussion with the CEO went smoothly. However, the interview took an unexpected turn near the end.
Question led to an unexpected response
According to Gogna, the CEO asked if he had any questions before concluding the interview. Hoping to ask a thoughtful strategic question, he enquired whether the company planned to enter the two-wheeler market.
Instead of answering directly, the CEO responded by asking Gogna whether he believed the company should expand into that segment.
Gogna said he had prepared extensively on the company's four-wheeler business but had not researched the two-wheeler market. As a result, he struggled to provide a convincing response.
"I had done my homework on the four-wheeler space but I had nothing on two-wheelers. I fumbled through an answer that had no real point of view behind it," he wrote.
Company selected another candidate
Gogna said HR informed him the following day that the company had decided to move ahead with another candidate and that his profile would remain in its system.
Reflecting on the experience, he said he believed the interview had gone well overall but felt the final exchange influenced the outcome.
He advised candidates to prepare not only for interview questions but also for the questions they intend to ask interviewers. He said a candidate's closing question can be the final indicator of how they think and should therefore be approached with equal seriousness, while also being prepared if the interviewer turns the question back on them.
Social media users share mixed views
The LinkedIn post prompted responses from several professionals, some of whom shared similar interview experiences.
One user said they could relate to Gogna's experience, recalling how they once asked a startup founder whether the company was still securing funding in a difficult market. The user said they later realised the question could be perceived as disrespectful and acknowledged the challenges involved in building a company.
Another user disagreed with Gogna's conclusion, arguing that the interviewer was likely assessing how he handled ambiguity after the question was redirected. The user said responding to an unexpected situation during a live interview reflected a different skill than simply asking thoughtful questions.
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