Introverted woman stands up to creepy recruiter to protect her 18-year-old sister

Young graduates, fresh out of college, often explore various job options in search of better opportunities, encountering all kinds of people—kind, rude, and sometimes even "creepy." Similarly, an 18-year-old student, hoping to secure a job, attended a career fair where she unexpectedly learned a powerful lesson in speaking up against harassment. The incident, which took place six years ago, was recently shared by her sister, u/indicat7, on Reddit. It revealed how a troubling recruiter was held accountable by the company’s HR for his unprofessional behavior.

The elder sister, 26 at the time, was excited for her high school graduate sibling to attend university. “She (my sister) applied for the same program as I did,” the woman recalled, adding that she knew her sister would “kill it in a way she herself could never do.” The sibling (who is eight years older than her sister) described herself as shy, reserved and non-confrontational, in contrast to her younger sister, who was fierce, charming and confident.

The younger sister was traveling down south to attend her first professional conference related to her field of study. The event also featured a career fair, presenting a great opportunity for the freshman to showcase her skills. She had received valuable advice from her experienced older sister and was well-prepared with her resume and a list of potential recruiters she admired most.

“Cue to the day after, and I get a call from her in distress,” the elder sister recalled. She explained that her sibling was uncertain about a particular networking interaction. A man from a “certain company” had approached the college student and expressed a keen interest in her resume. “He pulled her aside and started asking about the hotel she was staying at,” the post continued. This made the inexperienced freshman nervous, especially as the man, who turned out to be a recruiter, insisted on taking her to dinner.

That same evening, the recruiter—who was apparently older than the freshman's father—reached out and “stroked a strand of her hair.” At that point, the young student began crying. The elder sister, rushing to her sibling’s rescue, asked for the man’s name and the company he worked for. She advised her younger sibling to avoid the company at all costs. “I told her she did nothing wrong and he was being extremely inappropriate. I told her to keep a buddy with her while she was still down there, and it was alright,” the post added. However, the “creepy” employee, who had her resume, texted the 18-year-old, claiming he was in front of her hotel.  “I didn’t think it was possible for me to be more enraged than I already was… she was 18! First career fair! And, already she was terrified. Hell no. Not my freaking sister. The world will not take her shine,” the woman remarked. She promised to handle the situation before hanging up the call.

The next day, the enraged elder sister requested time off from work for the first half of the day to handle a personal matter. She managed to find the controversial recruiter’s LinkedIn profile and sent an email to his company’s HR, detailing the horrific experience her sister had endured. “I got a call from their HR department soon afterward, telling me they were taking this seriously and were going to investigate,” she added. The woman on the other end of the phone sounded very sympathetic and informed her that the man in question had been with the company for a while.

Although the recruiter had retired, the hiring manager explained that he was still primarily focused on recruitment for the company in a consultant role. Later that afternoon, the furious sister received an email from the business confirming the man’s departure. “It said this man had been let go from the company completely, and they thanked me for my report,” she concluded, sparking discussion on the platform. “He may have been this way all through his employment and was finally let go for it. Maybe they allowed him to ‘retire’ to save face,” u/worstpartyfear assumed. “This brings in less desirable talent who may not be good but are willing to put up with his bulls***,” u/thegreatgazoo emphasized.