my application, and after having passed both the document screening and the first interview, I was repeatedly asked about earlier education and even my high school background.
The interviewer also focused excessively on companies I worked for over ten years ago, rather than my recent roles or measurable achievements. The questions centered almost entirely on company names, headcount, and brand recognition, with little interest in my actual performance or impact.
When I explained my reason for leaving my previous role, the interviewer responded dismissively by saying, “So you left because you were upset,” which felt inappropriate and disrespectful.
Throughout the interview, the tone felt deliberately belittling, as if the intention was to undermine or gaslight the candidate rather than conduct a fair, professional evaluation. This made the overall experience extremely uncomfortable and unprofessional.
The interviewer repeatedly attempted to devalue my candidacy while pressuring me to lower my salary, using misleading compensation data.
As someone fully aware of the actual market benchmarks, I found this tactic both disingenuous and highly disrespectful.