Reject job offers from Hindi-English mixing bosses, suggests Indian in US; internet shreds him

The man's advice to candidates for interviews did not sit well with X users.

Varunram Ganesh, an Indian-origin professional working for a US-based company, has ignited a fierce debate on social media after he advised job seekers to avoid managers who mix Hindi with English during interviews in a tweet.

New York-based Ganesh tweeted, "A lot of Indian friends are entering the job market, switching jobs, among other things. The biggest advice I have to avoid bad managers and companies is: pick a manager who speaks fully in English."

He continued: "During interviews, pay attention to how your future boss is talking. If you notice one Hindi word or Hindi sentence (frequently to other colleagues), politely decline the job after the call. It will not be worth it. If a manager doesn’t know English and only knows Hindi / Regional languages, that’s totally fine. But if you get a language mixer, your life will be terrible and you will regret your decision."

A lot of Indian friends are entering the job market, switching jobs, among other things. The biggest advice I have to avoid bad managers and companies is: pick a manager who speaks fully in English

During interviews, pay attention to how your future boss is talking. If you…

— Varunram Ganesh (@varunramg) August 3, 2024

Another user highlighted the linguistic diversity of India, noting, "Bhai, mixing language is a normal trait for non-native English speakers ie 90%+ Indians."

The tweet was also criticised for its perceived elitism and lack of inclusivity. "This is a non-inclusive privileged statement. Language has nothing to do with managerial skills," one response read.

Others pointed out that the issue is not limited to Hindi speakers. "Yes, Hindi is catching strays (deservedly), but the transgressions happen equally from speakers of other languages too," said one user.

A senior manager who grew up in the United States but speaks Hindi shared their perspective: "I am Indian, have zero accent and grew up in the States, but can speak Hindi. I am in senior management and would never tolerate screening based on language. There are brilliant Indian engineers who need help with English."

Some users even accused Ganesh of linguistic chauvinism, with one comment stating, "Are you a linguistic chauvinist or just disconnected from reality?"

"Judging bad managers because of their language ability is like judging the taste of a fish by their ability to talk,” another user added.

Ganesh's tweet, amassing over 130,000 views, clearly struck a nerve on X reigniting the elitism and language debate.