Recruiter rejects IIT Delhi grad for tier-3 hire; netizens call out ‘needless comparison'

Students from top engineering institutes in India – particularly the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) – are often more likely to secure lucrative job offers, while those from tier-3 colleges often face a harsher reality: weak placement opportunities and limited industry exposure. However, a tech recruiter recently explained why he prioritised a candidate from a lesser-known college over an IIT Delhi graduate – and his LinkedIn post is now gaining traction.

The user, who goes by the name Pratham K on the networking site, shared that he doesn't care about JEE rank; instead, what matters to him is “what they have built, broken or fixed.”

“I rejected an IIT Delhi grad today. And hired someone from a college you've never heard of,” the recruiter wrote.

“The IIT grad had 1800+ LeetCode rating. Couldn't explain how his college project handled 100 concurrent users. The Tier 3 grad built a payment system processing 50K transactions. Deployed it. Scaled it. Broke it. Fixed it,” he continued.

He added, “Your parents paid ₹50L for coaching and IIT fees. His parents couldn't afford a laptop till 2nd year. Today, he got the offer. You got ‘we'll keep your resume on file’.”

The recruiter emphasised that he values practical skills over academic credentials, stating, “I care about what you've built, broken, and fixed. Companies don't pay for algorithms you can solve. They pay for systems you can build.”

Mixed reactions online

Social media users were far from unanimous in their response. Many criticised the post, arguing that the recruiter was humiliating one candidate while glorifying another simply to gain views.

One individual wrote, “I don't get the logic of solving 1800 LC questions. Many people waste a significant amount of their energy simply because the hiring committee cannot devise a more effective hiring strategy. It's a sham of the current assessment process. We learn new things, but the hiring process remains unchanged. It's ages old.”

Another commented, “What a rage bait post. You judged one of India’s top institutes using a single new grad kid’s college project? You could have said, talent is present everywhere without demeaning the other person. I sincerely hope you fix your attitude and bias before taking additional interviews!”

The recruiter replied, “I didn't judge IIT. I judged one candidate. If the roles were reversed - Tier 3 grad couldn't answer, IIT grad nailed it - I'd have hired the IIT grad. The post isn't anti-IIT. It's anti-credential-worship. The comments proved my point better than I ever could.”

A third user added, “You don't need to show one down to praise the other candidates. No IITian pays ₹50 lakh on coaching; some even get in without it. And most of them are talented, considering the ratio. The post is just to gain a non-IIT audience.”