How a Zomato Interview Proved That Culture Isn’t Just a Buzzword

The tech industry normally conducts hiring through automated systems and coding tests yet Zomato (now Eternal) shows genuine care for its candidates' humanity. A candidate shared their interview experience at Zomato (now Eternal) which demonstrated the authentic workplace culture rather than typical job offers and technical assessments.

An Interview That Took an Unexpected Turn

The candidate who considered joining Zomato (now Eternal) recognized their ineptness for the offered position. The first-round test lasted for 15 minutes until they determined they lacked the necessary skills needed for the job position. Two options presented themselves for the candidate: maintain the pretense of knowledge or proceed dishonestly or admit the truth about their situation. They showed transparency by revealing to the interviewers that their technical language proficiency was insufficient. The interviewer reacted very differently than most people would expect after this disclosure.

The Culture Test—Where Zomato Truly Stood Out

The Zomato team organized a 20-30 minute meeting to listen to this candidate instead of making a decision about their evaluation because they genuinely wanted to support their needs. The connection involved only genuine conversations which displayed both respect for others and empathy toward their situation alongside collaborative actions. At that instant the candidate gained essential knowledge. Fancy work environments and free office treats do not represent genuine company culture. Company culture stands as the manner people interact with you when tasks deviate from expectations.

"We, Not Me"—More Than Just a Motto

The "We, Not Me" leadership philosophy of Zomato has proven itself genuine through active implementation although it had been discussed for a long time. The company foundations rest upon these three central blocks:

• Founder’s mindset – Encouraging ownership and responsibility at all levels.
• People-centric approach – Ensuring every individual, whether an employee or a candidate, feels valued.

The organization moves forward using two key principles which include service-focused mentality along with innovation as main drivers. The applicant might not have secured the position yet obtained a remarkable advantage composed of both a beneficial encounter and a deeper understanding of genuine workplace culture principles.

This narrative forces us to address the essential question that contributes to being an outstanding employer. The essential factor that separates top employers from others lies in their human treatment of all their communities including employees and job seekers as well as their business partners and stakeholders. Through its candidate-centered recruitment process, Zomato demonstrates to other tech businesses how to develop employee retention systems that keep top talent within their organizations.

Hiring excellence represents only one aspect of successful management because organizations must treat all individuals equally despite their application match to specific roles. This hiring candidate did not become part of Zomato (now known as Eternal) but their unique hiring experience demonstrated a people-focused corporate approach. Technologies organizations should aim to develop this type of humane workplace environment.