I never applied for this role; they changed the job post sometime after I applied for an Associate Researcher opening. No one checked in with me after the change and since I was communicating with the recruiter through email, I didn’t see the different title on their job portal website. I had no idea what they were really looking for and went through the interview with the hiring manager and the portfolio presentation with two other members of the team before realizing something was up. (I’m sure they changed it after the first interview because I had the post open while I chatted with the hiring manager). When I asked if I could be considered for the original position or if we could discuss a compromise somehow, the recruiter responded with a rejection letter because “it doesn’t seem like this would be a good fit.”
I don’t want to think that they were trying to pull a bait and switch for a slightly lower rank position, but it completely soured my opinion of this company. I’m just glad I realized it when I did because I really would have been crushed if I actually made it through and was blindsided by the offer.