She Didn’t Get the Job, So She Spread a Rumor That I Sexually Harassed Her at Work

I’m the HR director at my company. During an interview, I caught a candidate named Fang Qi out on a résumé full of fake credentials and politely sent her on her way. The next day, she created dozens of burner accounts and spammed job-search apps with posts like these: “Exposing the hiring scandal at a major tech company. Its HR director, Mr. Zhang, is a filthy old pervert.” “He didn’t look at my résumé once during the interview. He stared at my legs the whole time, and nearly reached out to touch me.” “He hinted that if I went to a hotel to ‘talk’ that night, he could even give me the director’s position.” “So what if he’s handsome? He’s still a greasy, sleazy sexual harasser. Disgusting!” My coworkers sent messages of support, but I gathered the screenshots into a file. This young woman must have forgotten what our company specializes in. Crisis PR and public opinion warfare, and I’m the founder of that department.