Candidate gets hired after he tells boss he would steal $10 million from company: ‘Others rushed to defend themselves…’

A candidate got the job after he admitted to the employer that he would steal $10 million from the company if he had the opportunity. Taking to X, career coach Simon Ingari shared an anecdote.

During the interview, the employer told the candidate that his predecessor scammed the organisation of $10 million and asked how he could prove that he wouldn’t do the same if te opportunity arose.

The interviewer then challenged the applicant to explain why the organization should trust that such misconduct would never be repeated if they were selected for the role.


The question caught the candidate completely off guard. For a brief moment, he struggled to process what he had just heard. Once he regained his composure, he responded that while he firmly believed his character and ethical values spoke for themselves, no organization should rely solely on personal promises. He emphasized that effective internal controls, proper financial oversight, and strong fraud-prevention systems were equally essential to safeguard company assets.

The interviewer appreciated this balanced response. Instead of making exaggerated claims about his own honesty or becoming overly defensive, the candidate had acknowledged that integrity alone was not enough without robust organizational safeguards. According to the interviewer, many previous applicants had immediately tried to convince the panel of their innocence without recognizing the broader issue of weak financial controls.

"I loved your honesty. Many candidates we had were rushing to defend themselves even before they knew what was at stake.." Ingari wrote.

Several years after joining the organization, however, the employee uncovered a disturbing reality. The senior manager, who had asked the difficult interview question, was allegedly the individual orchestrating financial fraud within the company while manipulating circumstances to make the accountant appear responsible. By the time this truth surfaced, significant damage had already been done.