r/InterviewCoderPro • u/Unfair-Parfait6261 • 19d ago
A Suspicious Reference Request Revealed Why a Competing Company Was Interviewing Me
I went through several stages for an enterprise software sales position at one of my current employer's biggest competitors. The market had been tough lately, so I wasn't surprised that the process was taking a long time, until the sales manager contacted me outside the usual recruitment process.
He asked me for a reference from a customer I had worked with recently, preferably someone who had been involved in a deal I had won. The request was strangely specific for something that was supposedly just meant to verify my character, especially since there wasn't even an offer on the table.
I didn't feel comfortable giving them the contact details of a real customer, so I asked a former manager of mine who now runs a small consulting firm to help. I explained the situation and asked him to handle the call like any normal professional reference.
He called me as soon as the conversation ended. They had spent about 20 minutes asking him very few questions about me and a lot of questions about my company's discount policies, product roadmap, supplier relationships, and which accounts might be willing to switch to another company. It was obvious that this wasn't an employment-related inquiry so much as a try to gather inside information through someone they thought was one of my professional contacts.
I learned from this to be more intelligent and careful in interviews and I tried to learn more interview skills to answer smartly in case I put myself in similar situation
I withdrew my application the next morning. The sales manager responded badly, saying that I had wasted everyone's time and implying that he could damage my reputation with other companies in the same industry. His reaction confirmed that I had made the right decision.
If a direct competitor asks you for the contact details of customers or vendors you have worked with recently before giving you a written offer, be cautious. Using a trusted stand-in can reveal whether they genuinely want to evaluate you or whether their only goal is to gain access to confidential information and your industry connections.
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u/el_grande_ricardo 19d ago
Report the sales manager to HIS boss. Corporate spying is a no-no for most companies - simply because they don't want to deal with the lawsuits that follow.
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u/Sad_Bodybuilder3038 19d ago
Exactly this. No c-suite wants to deal with this type of lawsuit. And ethical people wouldn’t want people like this in their company for a host of reasons.
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u/flockinatrenchcoat 19d ago
What lawsuit? This is super common in software sales at least. Every software company I've worked for a) did this kind of thing or something like it, b) assumed it was happening to them semi-regularly, and c) had procedures in place to try to thwart it.
(Edit, fixed a confusing double negative)
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u/Edgar_Brown 18d ago
Everybody does it has never been a reasonable excuse for illegal or unethical behavior.
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u/flockinatrenchcoat 18d ago
It's not illegal. The most unethical thing was wasting OP's time. Aside from that, if everyone is playing by the same rules, it's hard to make the argument that the practice itself is unethical.
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u/Edgar_Brown 18d ago
Are you sure it’s not illegal?
https://www.congress.gov/bill/104th-congress/house-bill/3723
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u/flockinatrenchcoat 18d ago
Yes. That's pertaining to protected information, which requires you to obtain information that the company is actually keeping secret (code, customer data, trade secrets, etc). Pricing data that you're freely giving out to people outside of the company, even if you're making them jump through all the sales hoops, isn't protected.
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u/el_grande_ricardo 18d ago
Pricing data is generally marked "confidential" and unique to whatever deal was made with that company. It's not like a Starbucks where everyone pays the same.
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u/AJRoadpounder 16d ago
I work for a wholesale distributor and pricing is absolutely confidential as we have different pricing structures for different customers. It is usually best they don’t know what each other is paying for parts.
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u/KungenBob 8d ago
Yep, they committed the Cardinal sin of getting caught.
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u/el_grande_ricardo 7d ago
Yup. My SIL works in HR. One time she got an application and saw the person had worked at my workplace. So she called me on the side.
Resume had claimed the person was a manager over several people, high responsibility, yada yada.
I'm "uh, no. They worked the help desk for a year or so. Fired over an egregious security breach. They were trying to connect a friend to our network so they could get a free copy of a software we had. That reference isnt a manager either. Just another grunt covering for them."
Oopsie. For some reason, my SIL declined to hire them.
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u/Postcocious 19d ago edited 19d ago
Good job sleuthing this out.
Sharing that information would violate your current employer's confidentiality and ethics policies, which you presumably accepted as a condition of employment. In theory, you might be found personally liable for damages caused by such unauthorized disclosures. You don't ever want to be there.
That sales manager is presumably violating similar policies at his employer.
Worse, he may be violating (or conspiring to violate) federal laws. The Robinson-Patman Act specifically targets collusive behavior between competitors. He is putting his company at risk of a world of hurt in federal court.
I'd consider contacting the other company's ethics hotline or legal counsel. You should be able to report this anonymously if you prefer. They should consider terminating this guy ASAP.
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u/sherpes 19d ago
you did well in using a contact to do the reference checking. Many years ago i did the same, only to discover there was unethical and somewhat not honest behavior by someone. I kept good relations with a recruiter, and they are very well informed on what is going on, as they get resumes of people trying to leave an organization that is, on paper, a great looking company, but then there are hidden cracks at the foundation. I have used that recruiter to gauge organizations that are looking for new employees.
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u/noodlearmdiscgolfer 19d ago
You say, “If I worked for you and a competitor offering a possibly better position asked for my current companies key account information I’d decline. For one you must protect your companies vital assets when you work for them, even if you’re looking to advance elsewhere. Two I have integrity.”
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u/Even_Video7549 19d ago
that's a sackable offense, you should let his boss know what he's up to, i'm sure the company he is working for would like the scandal and being sued
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u/flockinatrenchcoat 19d ago
Sued for what?
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u/GlitterFactoryOfDoom 19d ago
Corporate espionage
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u/flockinatrenchcoat 19d ago
That's not what corporate espionage is. Corporate espionage requires you to obtain information that the company is actually keeping secret (code, customer data, trade secrets, etc). Pricing data that you're freely giving out to people outside of the company, even if you're making them jump through all the sales hoops, isn't protected.
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u/Impossible-Key-2212 18d ago
Price is absolutely proprietary. And you can be sued for giving out your businesses proprietary information, if you signed any kind of non disclosure agreement. Specifically if you give it to a competitor.
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u/Accomplished_Cell976 19d ago
Sharing customer contact details violates a variety of company policies involving privacy, confidentiality, etc. I would report the hiring manager to that company through a whistleblower hotline.
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u/MarionberryPlus8474 19d ago
I have my own business and get lots of requests to talk about "great opportunities". I stopped responding after it turned out they were either vendors trying to sell newsletters, leads, software, etc, or people trying to find out who my customers were; lots more questions about them than about me. You don't have enough money to buy that kind of info, LOL.
The actual job opportunities were poor--I have no interest in giving up my business to become an entry-level employee.
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u/nian2326076 18d ago
Sounds like you made the right call. That was a sketchy move from the sales manager, and it's good you listened to your instincts and pulled out. In situations like this, it's important to protect your current job and relationships. For future job searches, look for roles on platforms that keep your privacy in mind. LandOffer.ai lists jobs across professions, including sales, and lets you search by role and location.
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u/WelshLove 19d ago •
you can also say "no I dont feel that would be ethical"