I have interviewed at dozens of companies lately and even more throughout my life and this one hands down takes the cake. A recruiter initially reached out to me about a contract role I had applied to. It was a great match but we couldn't come to terms on pay. He reached out again when he had a full time role at a higher rate and I agreed to interview again. The second interview is where things went wonky. I could tell almost immediately that the interviewer--the Head of HR-- was not interested in hiring me. I couldn't quite place why, but he seemed unnecessarily argumentative and difficult throughout the interview. Months later I received a form letter telling me they had selected someone who better matched the requirements of the role. Fast forward nearly a year later and the same Head of HR reaches out to me through LinkedIn as if we'd never met. Assuming he'd now carefully reviewed my resume with fresh eyes and could see how well it matched the requirements of the role, I was happy to take another interview with him for the new opportunity. As soon as he arrived (15 minutes late I might add), I could see exactly how this interview was going to go. He recognized me from the prior interview and then said he was glad I had agreed to meet him "again" because he said I keep showing up as a great match in searches for this role (well, duh, my experience almost exactly matches the requirements) but he didn't see how my specific experience fit. He then asked me very general questions about broad concepts that have different meanings depending on context (ex. pipeline, he meant marketing pipeline, I was talking about sales). Then he asked me if I had reviewed the job description and if I thought I met any of the requirements of the role. I said that I had and felt I was not only a strong match but I was also confident that I could achieve what they were looking for the person to achieve in this role. He then started to push back similar to how he had in the prior interview. What was I going to do once I got into Hubspot and had to build journeys and market to prospects? I am Hubspot certified and I will do what I have done in my prior roles that have been not only successful but increasingly so year over year. Anyway, after quite a bit of trying to explain to this person something that even AI can plainly see (my match to this role) for 30 minutes, he said he'd reach out for next steps. I left knowing I wouldn't get the job, but deciding I also didn't and would not even want it after these absurd interactions. Several months later he messaged me through LinkedIn (why waste your time with an actual call or email), he sent me a similarly written form letter about how I am such an exceptional candidate but that they had made the difficult decision to move forward with other candidates. Good riddens.

Was contacted by the recruiter on LinkedIn to set up a conversation with him. That was pretty straightforward. He set up a 30 minute interview with the hiring manager, which the recruiter also sat in on. The interview felt like it went very well - received multiple verbal confirmations including "I like that you mentioned..." and "That is what we're looking for..." They gave no indication that my skills, experience, and interest would not align with the role. They did not lay out a clear path for what next steps would be, but said I should expect an update the following week. Afterwards, I had to follow-up with the recruiter to get an update on next steps. Got a generic "we are pursuing other candidates" email. I followed up twice asking for specific feedback and what it was they were seeking that I did not bring to the table. Got no response. Sent a third email really pressing for a response to learn what specifically they were seeking and got a "I'm not in a position to say more" response. It is clear that they decided to pursue other candidates for subjective reasons (which is fine) but it is strange to be so avoidant to give a response for feedback - and ultimately refuse to do so. The lack of transparency and willingness to have an honest conversation about my candidacy ended up souring the whole process for me - which had been just fine up to that point. Other thoughts: -30 minutes was not enough time for the interview. -Did not provide clear interview steps (# of rounds, timeline). Didn't seem like they really knew. -Companies and hiring managers are allowed to have personal opinions on the people they would be working with. BUT - if you're going to make hiring decisions for subjective reasons, be up front about it especially when asked for feedback. -On the note of subjectivity - the staff company appears heavily dominated by women. See the staff page on HMP Collective (29 Women | 6 Men) or look at their employees on LinkedIn. Can't claim that influenced the hiring decision, but do with that information what you will.