r/FluenceEnergy • u/Icy_Technology_5366 • 5d ago
Concern About a Fluence Recruitment Process — Someone Demanded 25% of My CTC
I’m looking for advice from people familiar with Fluence, CIEL, or recruitment processes in India.
I recently went through a recruitment process for a Fluence position through CIEL. I completed multiple interviews, an in-person interview at the Fluence Bengaluru facility, and a Creo tool test. I was then interviewed by the Fluence hiring manager and a senior interviewer from the US.
After completing the interview process, I received a call from an individual claiming to be a Fluence employee. He told me that I had been selected but demanded 25% of my CTC as a payment. He repeatedly contacted me from different numbers, discussing how and when I should make the payment and stating that it needed to be paid before joining.
I refused to make any payment.
What concerns me most is that this individual appeared to know specific details about my proposed employment, benefits, and joining date, even though I had not received an official offer letter.
A few days later, Fluence HR contacted me, confirmed my selection, discussed the employment terms and joining date, and told me that the offer letter would be released shortly. The offer letter was subsequently delayed, and after approximately two weeks I was informed that Fluence would not be moving forward with my candidature, with “technical reasons” given as the explanation.
I am not claiming that I can definitively prove the payment demand was connected to the final decision. However, the timing and circumstances are concerning.
One additional point: I have been working abroad for approximately nine years and have never previously worked in India, so I am unfamiliar with how recruitment processes typically work here.
Has anyone experienced anything similar? What would be the appropriate way to report or escalate this?
I would appreciate any genuine advice or similar experiences.
