I had a very disappointing experience interviewing with Keka, one of the worst I've encountered in recent times. Ironically, as an HRMS platform, their internal HR processes are shockingly disorganized—far from the standards they claim to solve for others.
Initially, I noticed a few red flags but chose to give them the benefit of the doubt, assuming no organization could be this unstructured. Unfortunately, Keka managed to prove me wrong.
Background
About 8 months ago, I declined their offer at the proposal stage itself because my compensation expectation was 1.5x their budget, which was even lower than my current salary. Recently, they reached out again, claiming to have revised budgets. I shared the same compensation expectations as before, and they assured me that this was feasible.
Throughout the process, my expectations remained consistent. The interview process spanned over 50 days, with the actual interviews completed in just 7 days. The remaining 43 days were spent on offer discussions, which turned out to be an exhausting ordeal.
After a long wait, the offer they presented was shockingly low—barely a 3% increase on my current salary. Despite their earlier assurances, they started negotiating on every aspect. Naturally, I was disappointed after investing significant time and effort in the process.
What was even more baffling was the justification given by the HR team and CEO. They explained how my salary expectations were “premium” compared to their current employees and how meeting my requirements would be “unjust” to their team. If this was their stance, why even approach me in the first place?
After several rounds of negotiation, I reluctantly agreed to a compensation well below my expectations, solely because they promised a remote working arrangement for the first 6-12 months. However, things only went downhill from there.
When I informed them that I was ready to accept the offer and requested the offer letter for review, the hiring person called again to “clarify a few things.” To my utter frustration, they brought up new conditions, relocation in 4-months, which had never been discussed before.
I reiterated my original terms—6-12 months remote work—and made it clear that nothing had changed. Despite this, they dragged on the discussions for another 7 days, citing internal policies and their inability to make exceptions for me.
HR team eventually admitted that they had been hoping I would “adjust” my requirements after interacting with their team. This realization left me even more frustrated. It became clear that the 45-day delay in rolling out the offer was simply because they were waiting for me to compromise.
During my last conversation with the hiring person, she raised her voice while trying to justify their actions. At that moment, I felt relieved that I had decided to decline their offer.
Final Thoughts
Keka, as an HRMS platform, I strongly urge you to reflect on your processes. When candidates communicate their non-negotiables, respect their time and effort by being upfront. Your approach to this interview process serves as a cautionary tale of how not to manage hiring.
If you truly aspire to solve HR challenges for others, it’s time to address your own internal inefficiencies first.
