The Partnership Pact: How We Faked a Relationship to Land Our Dream Jobs

Bangalore's tech scene is a battlefield. Everyone's armed with a stellar resume, a portfolio of ambitious side-hustles, and a hunger to get into one of the "big league" companies. For me and Riya, our target was Zenith Corp, a unicorn startup known as much for its disruptive products as for its quirky, almost cult-like culture. And we discovered their secret handshake: they loved hiring couples.


We weren't a couple. In fact, when we first met at a hackathon, we were rivals. I saw Riya as the stoic coder who effortlessly solved problems I’d been stuck on for hours. She probably saw me as the loudmouth with a flair for presentation and a talent for charming judges. We were two sides of a perfect coin, and individually, we were just another face in the crowd of applicants getting rejected by Zenith.


The idea started as a joke over lukewarm coffee after our fourth respective rejection. "They're obsessed with synergy and long-term commitment," I grumbled. "What do we have to do? Get married to get an interview?"


Riya, ever the pragmatist, didn't laugh. She just looked at me, a slow-dawning idea in her eyes. "Maybe not married," she said. "But what if we were a 'power couple'?"


And so, "The Partnership Pact" was born. It was a business plan, not a romance. Our objective: to present ourselves as the perfect, synergistic duo that Zenith Corp was looking for. We decided to apply for complementary roles—me in product management, her in lead development—for their flagship new project.


The next two months were a blur of calculated construction. We manufactured a history. We back-dated Instagram posts, photoshopping ourselves into pictures from solo trips we'd taken years ago. Our "first date" was a brainstorming session where we mapped out our professional strengths and weaknesses. We studied each other's resumes like sacred texts, learning every project, every skill, every career goal. We rehearsed our "how we met" story until it felt more real than the actual hackathon.


The strange part? It wasn't hard. Our professional chemistry was undeniable. In our mock-interviews, my strategic vision was always grounded by her technical feasibility. Her brilliant code was given a voice and a purpose through my product roadmaps. We were a well-oiled machine. The only thing missing was any semblance of actual romance. Our dates were project meetings at cafes, our "sweet nothings" were compliments on a clean codebase or a sharp market analysis.


When we finally landed a joint final-round interview at Zenith, we were ready. The hiring manager, a cheerful man named Alok, seemed more interested in our dynamic than our degrees. "So, how do you two handle disagreements on a project?" he asked, smiling.


Riya answered without missing a beat. "Same way we decide where to eat. Rohan makes a passionate case for his choice with a full presentation, and then I calmly explain why my data-driven approach is better. We usually go with my choice."


I chimed in, "And I'm smart enough to know she's usually right. It's about getting the best outcome, not about ego."


Alok was floored. We got the offers the next day.


We had done it. We had proven our hypothesis. Our pact had worked. Walking into the gleaming Zenith office on our first day felt like a victory lap. We were the talk of the company, the "it couple" who were going to change the game.


But a funny thing happens when you spend every waking moment with your "business partner," celebrating wins, navigating office politics, and leaning on each other through high-pressure deadlines. The lines blur. The fake laughter turns real. The practiced support becomes genuine care. I found myself admiring not just her mind, but her quiet determination, the way she'd bite her lip when she was deep in thought.


The proof we were so desperate to find changed. It was no longer about proving we could get a job. It was about acknowledging the truth that had been hiding in plain sight: our partnership worked because it was real, just not in the way we had originally designed. Our greatest social hack turned out to be accidentally falling in love. We came to Zenith to build a product, but we ended up building a life. And that's a synergy you just can't fake.


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