Three weeks after the remote ceo interview. They want me to meet him in person
Posted by alee463@reddit | ExperiencedDevs | View on Reddit | 62 comments
What do you guys think about this situation? They dropped contact 3 weeks ago bc they were still finishing up interviews. Now they want me to go onsite to meet the ceo for 30 minutes.
ninetofivedev@reddit
Is it a remote job? This isn't that weird, especially at a small company.
If you want the job, I'd do it?
I don't understand the hesitation.
alee463@reddit (OP)
It being a remote only role. I just happened to live locally. But I don’t think other remote candidates would be coming in. They mentioned they were still interviewing two weeks ago and then ghosted me. I went through a short depression and just got over it, and here they are again lol
CommunistRonSwanson@reddit
I would go ahead with it, and if they intend to offer you the position I’d make sure that “full-time remote” is mentioned somewhere in your contract.
ninetofivedev@reddit
I’m assuming America and lol… what’s a contract?
CommunistRonSwanson@reddit
An employment contract, assuming OP gets offered the job
ninetofivedev@reddit
Oh yeah, we don't really have those here. The document you're signing always includes a reminder that the job is at-will and everything is subject to change.
In other words, in this context, it doesn't matter that it's spelt out that the job is remote. They can pull that rug right out if they should choose to.
CommunistRonSwanson@reddit
An at-will contract is still legally binding, depending on the wording and stipulations it contains. The terms of any such contract should be run by a labor attorney if it's a deal-breaker for OP, though.
ninetofivedev@reddit
Where'd you get your law degree?
CommunistRonSwanson@reddit
Where'd you get that chip on your shoulder?
alee463@reddit (OP)
Yeah, will look out for that
BillyBobJangles@reddit
Just a wild guess but they may have chosen someone else who was scamming them, and now they just want to see you for a quick face to face to confirm you are a real person.
alee463@reddit (OP)
Damn I’m hoping, this is a layup then hahaha
AlignmentProblem@reddit
I'm taking a remote roles soon where they flew me to another state as the last stage of the interview process. People often prefer to meet someone in-person at least once even if they won't be on-site in the future, especially when the candidate is close enough to easily drive.
Helps get a better vibe for the person and you can guarantee they aren't using AI to cheat. There are very clever methods to hide using AI during interviews now and employeers are increasingly wary of the risk of hiring someone who got away with that.
Unless there are other warning signs, it's not strange at all.
ninetofivedev@reddit
Small companies get busy and like it or not, you just moved down on priority compared to something else. I wouldn’t read too much into that, they got back to you, albeit later than you would have liked.
Are you saying your depression was caused by not hearing back from this job?
I hope you’re talking to a therapist. This is something you need to get help with managing. Life is not always going to revolve around you.
alee463@reddit (OP)
I’ve been on the market for a while. Had quite a few of these (full loop - ghost) recently and it’s really starting to wear on me
ninetofivedev@reddit
Well then you should be excited. The CEO, who probably doesn't have a lot of time, is dedicating what they do have to you.
You got this. Go knock it out of the park.
dashingThroughSnow12@reddit
Probably, what probably happened is there were two candidates they really liked. One they liked a fair bit, you, and one they liked a whole lot more. The other one either botched a final interview or rejected them.
Or they just got busy. Twice I’ve had a recruiter simply forget to send me an email for an offer letter. Both times the hiring manager emailed the recruiter because they were surprised rhetorical offer hadn’t been sent & responded to.
Empanatacion@reddit
Sounds like a vibe check since you happen to be local. Flip it around and it would be kind of weird to hire somebody in the same city without meeting in person when the effort is so minimal.
alee463@reddit (OP)
That’s true
rcls0053@reddit
You got depressed that they didn't contact you for two weeks?
caffeinated_wizard@reddit
This is perfectly normal and you are overthinking it
ExperiencedDevs-ModTeam@reddit
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AyeMatey@reddit
You are asking whether you should agree to an interview. Do you want the job, or not?
chikamakaleyley@reddit
maybe it's a setup for an intervention
alee463@reddit (OP)
👀
BenchOk2878@reddit
You are not their first choice. Ask for bigger salary now.
Sad-Salt24@reddit
This is a good sign, as companies typically invite candidates to meet a CEO only when they’re seriously being considered.
account22222221@reddit
There have been scams with people claiming to be remote but local but actually living in North Korea. Sounds crazy but it’s real. Some places now require at least one in person meeting before hiring. Maybe that?
starwars52andahalf@reddit
You’re probably their finalist (or one of 2-3 max). Go onsite, you’re not losing anything.
nappiess@reddit
Are you an attractive woman?
alee463@reddit (OP)
Lol, no
dashingThroughSnow12@reddit
Don’t let that discourage you. Everyone is someone’s type.
alee463@reddit (OP)
Thank you, I needed this 🙏
nappiess@reddit
Honestly seems like some kind of fraud prevention strategy for them, but if I was interviewing for remote roles only I'd be hesitant to actually do this without an offer in hand, and even then it would be annoying.
sarhoshamiral@reddit
Unfortunately with AI making it easier to fake interviews on-site interviews will become the default again even for remote positions. There is really no other good way to identify if candidate was genuine or not.
alee463@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I didn’t consider this as a possible reason
alee463@reddit (OP)
Yeah…This was a remote job. I had mentioned I lived local. He wouldn’t be expecting other remote candidates to come onsite right? You think I might have the edge because I’m in the area?
Pancakefriday@reddit
You definitely have an edge being in the area
nappiess@reddit
If you live local to him already that makes sense. I'd be slightly concerned if it's an indication that they might expect you to come into the office more, but that's also the risk of accepting a remote job that is in your city. Since you two live in the same city this seems like a reasonable request though.
Environmental_Leg449@reddit
Their first choice probably backed out, you likely have the job as long as your ego is okay being the second choice (and you don't fuck up the meeting)
Safe_Ride_8754@reddit
If it isn’t far I’d do it - these days with AI they’re probably verifying you’re a real person
chain_letter@reddit
Weird to leave out that you live local to the CEO so everyone's unclear on how much of an ask is being put out
It's absolutely normal for leadership smallerish companies to want to build a relationship with the people they're bringing on, and that's way faster and more effective in person, especially when it's convenient like this.
Don't be weird and rude in this meeting.
timelessblur@reddit
I would go if you want the job. Could simple be you are candidate number 2 or 3 in choices and the top choice turn them down. This does not mean they didnt like you and they might really wanted you just you were no number 1.
I would still and try.
No-Ostrich-2457@reddit
Sounds like a good sign—they wouldn’t bring you in to meet the CEO unless you’re a serious candidate.
The 3-week gap is pretty normal if they were wrapping up interviews.
Just treat it as a final vibe check and go in confident
HRApprovedUsername@reddit
Don’t do it. He’s going to kick you in the balls
alee463@reddit (OP)
That’s what my mom told me to
arihoenig@reddit
Pretty standard. I mean wouldn't you want to meet someone you're considering hiring? (North Koreans are hoping you say "no").
alee463@reddit (OP)
Lol
Sunstorm84@reddit
Every time I’ve had a final with the CEO, it’s been a job offer. Good luck and congrats!
leneuromancer@reddit
Pre remote days i was looking at a job in another city - was offered but I insisted on meeting CEO and team on-site before I accepted, no way was I up and moving before that. Flew at my own expense to do so.
For me, i would see it as a positive .. also an opportunity for you to 'nope out if vibes aren't there 🤷♂️
alee463@reddit (OP)
That’s fair, thank you!
Expert-Application32@reddit
Vibe check. Nothing serious, they just want to make sure you are who they say you are. Just go in there, be friendly, make small talk, you'll be fine.
spoonraker@reddit
This is completely normal. Meeting in person is opportunistic, since you happen to live in the same area.
Being asked to meet with the CEO is almost always a very positive sign. It's usually a sign that the hiring team has recommended hiring you, and the CEO meeting is the final vibe check where the CEO decides if he wants to wield his veto power or not.
Think of it like this: the people you already interviewed with probably assessed your technical skills, soft skills, potential team fit. The CEO is going to ask about none of that. The CEO is going to ask high level questions about what you want out of the job, what you think of the company, how you reason about the company's mission, what your vision is for how you can effect change at the company, and possibly start getting into some high level details about what an offer might look like.
You goal for this meeting is simple: don't be an asshole (CEO is vetting your for the highest level culture fit), demonstrate some understanding and enthusiasm for what the company does, and don't act like you're just there to collect a paycheck and extract as much money from them as possible.
Seriously, that's it. The only way you can screw up a CEO interview is demonstrating that you're not a good fit for the company. The CEO just wants you to be enthusiastic, committed, and not a jerk.
mathbbR@reddit
North Koreans have been targeting remote roles. They send the laptops to a safe house in the united states operated by an accomplice, stick it on a shelf, load it with malware and/or pretend to do work on it.
https://now.fordham.edu/university-news/americas-best-remote-workers-might-be-north-korean/
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-coordinated-nationwide-actions-combat-north-korean-remote
There are other remote work scams too. Sometimes they try to get americans to interview for the job and then send the work to LATAM and try to take a cut.
It's insane out there. They probably want to meet you in person because they're careful.
They ghosted you for three weeks because they're an employer and that's what employers do. Don't take it too personally. If they want to meet you, that's a sign of interest.
I don't see any issues here.
AbstractLogic@reddit
It's good they want you to talk to the CEO. You should make sure your both aligned on the vision of the product, the company culture, the financial strength of the company and the long term technical vision. I assume its a relatively small company so chances are you would be feeling their directives and management style even if you have your own manager + skip level. It can take weeks to do interviews, you should be happy. A callback 3 weeks later means they vetted a lot of candidates before the decided you where the best fit. Anyway, good luck with your interview if you chose to take it.
diablo1128@reddit
I don't see what the big deal is. This is a good thing if you want the job.
They didn't drop contact, they were still interviewing other candidates. You shouldn't expect a play by play being relayed to you on a daily basis. It seems it took them 3 weeks to go through all the interviews and they feel you are a top candidate.
Thus they want you to come in and meet the CEO. This sounds like a good thing to me. Don't overthink what is going on.
ConspicuousPineapple@reddit
What are you confused about? That's good news, isn't it?
alee463@reddit (OP)
Idk if I can mask the neurospiciness, I haven’t interviewed in person in a while. And never w a CEO lol
funkengruven@reddit
If it were me, I'd go, it's not a big deal at all.
Dreadmaker@reddit
I mean… this seems generally pretty normal, but I guess there’s probably context that you’re not giving here that makes it more strange?
I’d take it as a bit weird for sure if that 30 minute meeting was flying to another country or something. But if it’s just a drive in the same city, that seems like something I would expect as part of most hiring processes
jburkert@reddit
Spring break schedules may have slowed things down. Different times for different employees in different school districts. i.e. might be nothing
rwilcox@reddit
A job’s a job, but in any other time it would be seen as a bit of a red flag, that they’re a process disaster.
I’d go if it’s local. If they want you to get on a plane, or stay overnight (ie it’s a 3 hour drive), I’d weigh it against how badly you really need the job.
But don’t get your hopes up: you’re likely the second choice because their first backed out.