‘I’ll pay you $500 to hire me...’: Job applicant sends unique offer to Bengaluru startup founder

The founder of Wingify received a unique proposition. "I'll pay you $500 to hire me. If I don't prove myself to be one of the best within a week you can fire me & keep the money," a job applicant wrote to him.

Sharing the screenshot on X (formally Twitter) Paras Chopra, founder and chairman of software company Wingify, said he was impressed with the pitch, adding he would obviously not take the money. "This is how you get attention!" he wrote.

In his message, the applicant said he would pay Chopra $500 (Rs 41,000 approximately) if hired to work at Wingify. If he did not prove his mettle within the first week, Chopra would be free to fire him and keep the money.

“I want to work at Wingify,” read the message sent to Bengaluru-based Chopra. “I have a unique proposition for you. I'll pay you $500 to hire me. If I don't prove myself to be one of the best within a week you can fire me & keep the money. Saying this so I'll have skin in the game & not to waste your team’s time.”

“Looking forward to your rejection,” the message ended.

Opinion in the comments section was divided with some loving the attention-grabbing job application, while others thought it set a bad precedent.

One user wrote, "It also speaks about the sad state of jobs currently - where a candidate has to mention $$$ to get attention :)"

Wingify is a software company that Chopra started in 2009. A gold medalist from Delhi College of Engineering, he has been featured twice in the Forbes 30 under 30 list - India and Asia. Besides Wingify, he is also the founder of Nintee and VWO.

In the ever-evolving landscape of job applications, a wave of innovation has swept away the era of boring resumes and bland cover letters. 

A remarkable incident in this regard was shared by Antimetal's CEO, Matthew Parkhurst, who recently received an internship application that came with a delicious twist, a box of pizza. 

The "super excited" applicant attached their CV to the pizza box, capturing Parkhurst's trust. The internship seeker also attached a handwritten along with the Pizza box, expressing his desire to apply for the role of an engineering intern at Antimetal. He also said that the pizza was a "bribe" for the company's hiring team to visit his website.

The note, along with the pizza box, was shared by Parkhurst on X, where he said, "100% getting an interview."

The post garnered a lot of attention, with people joking about the guy getting an interview with the startup.