‘Hired, paid… and fired in 3 months’: Startup founder’s viral post on employee who faked it all

Building a startup is no easy feat, and hiring the wrong person can be a costly mistake. Arshia Kaur, founder of beauty brand Tint Cosmetics, has gone viral on Instagram after sharing a shocking hiring experience that left her out of time, money and trust.

In a series of videos, Kaur recounted how her company hired a “perfect-on-paper” candidate for the Head of Marketing role in November 2024. The applicant seemed ideal– claiming experience in scaling brands, managing e-commerce, running ad campaigns, and driving growth. He even walked the team through what appeared to be the backend of his previous work.

“He looked amazing on paper… everything seemed extremely legit,” Kaur said.

But within weeks of joining, things began to unravel. The new hire struggled to communicate with the team or management, failed to deliver on assigned tasks, and offloaded work onto other employees– including Kaur herself. Despite multiple discussions and warnings, there was no improvement. He was fired just two and a half months into the job.

The real shock came later. Curious about the mismatch between his alleged past achievements and his current performance, Kaur rechecked his documents– and realised the entire CV had been fabricated. His salary slips were forged on Microsoft Excel, complete with impossible details such as “31 working days” in a month. There was no company stamp or signature.

“It was all fake. We got completely duped,” Kaur said, showing screenshots in her Instagram post.

The entrepreneur said the incident was a hard lesson in hiring diligence. “When you’re bootstrapped, every single penny matters — it’s hard-earned money. Please double-check every document before hiring. Founders, it’s your right to have the correct information about anyone you bring into your company,” she advised.

Her story has since sparked debate among small business owners and job seekers alike, with many calling it a wake-up call for stricter background checks in the hiring process.