“Didn’t Make The Final Cut, But…,” Kerala Man Says Applying For Chief Of Staff Role At Zomato 'Helped' Him Tremendously

Recently, a startup Manager shared his experience of applying for the post of Chief of Staff at India’s leading restaurant aggregator brand, Zomato.

Manager shares experience about applying for Chief of Staff  at Zomato 

Kerala-based Sanjay Krishna, a product manager at Entri App revealed on social media platform X that he applied for the job just out of curiosity and despite not making it to the final stage, described the interview as one of the best experiences of his career.

Also, he shared that the conversations and feedback he received during the Zomato interview helped him develop his understanding of leadership, business strategy, and challenges in a corporate setup.

“Didn’t make the final cut, but the conversation and feedback have helped me tremendously over the past few months,” the professional said. “Grateful for the opportunity!” he added.

Hiring update on the Chief of Staff –

We started with 18,000+ applications and have had the privilege of meeting over 150 incredibly talented individuals. From this, 30 exceptional people received offers, and 18 have already joined Zomato (and other group companies like Blinkit)… https://t.co/8a6XhgeOGk

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) February 5, 2025

The role of Chief of Staff, based at Zomato headquarters in Gurugram received immense criticism last year on social media due to its unconventional terms of employment. For instance, the candidate was expected to work without salary for the first year of employment. Instead, he/she was asked to pay a substantial fee of Rs 20 lakh for the role.

However, Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal later clarified that the fee was a part of the screening process designed to filter out flippant applicants. Despite the initial backlash, the Chief of Staff position drew the attention of thousands of professionals to work for the brand. Later Goyal remarked that 18,000+ candidates had applied for the role.

The Zomato boss wrote, “From this, 30 exceptional people received offers, and 18 have already joined Zomato (and other group companies like Blinkit) in high-impact roles. They’re being handsomely compensated for the value they bring, and nobody paid anything to work with us.”

Also read: American CEO Walks Out Of Nikhil Kamath’s Podcast: ‘Air Pollution In India Made My Skin Break Out, My Eyes & Throat Burn’ (startuppedia.in)