Strange interview and experience. Their was no touch point with an actual recruiter before I was selected to move forward. Not even an email from an actual human welcoming me to the interview process or giving me next step instructions. The prescreen was done by an automated AI tool in which I answered some questions via text. It felt very impersonal. After 3 questions I received a text I would move forward. I received an email with times to select to connect with the Director for a 30 min call. Still no human interaction or personal touch in any part of the process. I didn’t even receive an email with the job description to better prep me or guide me in the next steps. It was all very automated and not personable at all. Even if the culture internally is different, it gave a feeling of a cold and rigid culture from the start.
The interview tool didn’t work when I logged in for my time and I sat their waiting for 10 min. I had no touch point from any recruiter with any interviewer contact info or recruiter contact info, so I wasn’t able to reach out to my interviewer to let them know the tool was having issues. Luckily I quickly found them on LinkedIn and was able to shoot over a message with my number and explain what was going on. We connected via Zoom, and right out of the gate the interview felt rushed and impersonal. I felt like a number and just another candidate in the mix. I was told there were numerous candidates in the process (internally and externally) and that since I was still “employed” it was hard to consider me since there are so many “unemployed” qualified people on the market. I thought that was a very odd comment to make to a candidate and very off-putting. Not something I would ever even think to say to a candidate during an interview.. I wasnt asked any questions about my current role or experience, they just jumped right into behavioral questions that caught me kind of off guard. I feel interviews should be conversational and the candidate should be able to talk about accomplishments they are proud of and career goals they are proud of as well as what skills they can bring to the current company. I wasnt given that opportunity. I only had time for one or two questions at the end and I could see the HM looking down at the clock on the computer when I answered. Overall I didnt feel connected or that I had their attention.
After the call I didn’t feel excited nor impressed with the process, interview interaction or role. I know they are a large company and probably receive thousands of applicants, however, I do think they need to work on their initial candidate experience/interview process as I know it left a bad taste in my mouth and if anything it deterred me from any further interest in moving forward with the role and company. I wasnt selected to move forward and was actually relieved given my experience. Also, maybe some hiring manager interview training would be helpful as well.