What would you do in this situation

Imagine this: You have spent weeks evaluating candidates for that open role. You have put them through every test, multiple interviews - you have dissected their skills, their experiences, and you’ve finally made your decision. You are now making THE offer.

The candidate sits across from you - but instead of shaking your hand he/she leans forward and says "Just so you know, I’m not an IIT grad. Never went there" Now what? This candidate just cleared all your rounds, solved every problem, nailed every behavioral question. What do you do now???

Do you throw them out for lying? Do you punish them for tricking the system into shortlisting the resume and offering them? OR Do you pause for a second and ask yourself - did I just judge someones ability based on a checklist, or did I see their actual potential?

Sure your system, your filters, your standards - they all got tricked. They made a joke out of it. And it should hurt. But wasn't the process you trust so much supposed to catch the lie? If the guy is sitting in front of you, with the skills and problem-solving mindset - tested by you and your people - the same someone you were willing to make an offer a minute ago - the same someone you went gaga over a minute ago - minus the degree is still the same guy. Right?? Then did the degree really matter?

Sure, his approach might be unconventional, but isn’t the whole point of hiring to get the best talent? If he could game your system and still outperform others within your interviewing standards and assessment playground rules - doesn’t that say something about him? Would you honor his honesty at the last second? Or would you punish the trickery, even though you’ve just spent weeks proving he has what it takes? Would you now question your hiring standards? Would you realize you might be filtering out great candidates because they don’t fit the “mold” you’ve built? Or do you still choose to stay stuck on the labels and shiny credentials?

Here’s the real question: Did your system just fail… or did it actually work? What if the candidate rubbed it in your face and said - "And those companies on my resume? Never worked there either” Would that hurt your ego even more? your pride?

So many ... Trust me SOOOOO MANYYYYY others have you missed out on opportunities because they didn’t have the RIGHT school, the RIGHT companies on their resume? So if a candidate - does exactly this - Is he/she any wrong - to shake up your system?

Some of the boldest moves I know comes from a place of desperation. They come from a place of nothing more to lose So again - I got to ask - what would you do in this situation if you were hiring?

PS: SocialExperiment No. 1 - I am thinking of publishing more of these - What do you think?