I went through a two-stage interview process. The first interview was great, and I was excited about the opportunity. However, the final interview was disappointing for several reasons. Firstly, the company advertises ‘hybrid working’ on its website. When I asked for details of what this entails (how many days / the percentage of time colleagues work in the office & remotely) I was told that working from home is generally not something they do or approve of at Head Office, because it’s not fair to the staff in the dealerships who have to be in every day. This was said while we were looking at an entire floor of empty desks and seats in a department. The website states: ‘From our industry-leading holiday entitlement to our hybrid working policies, we want you to feel comfortable in a role which is flexible with your lifestyle.’ This did not align with the reality presented during the interview. Additionally, my final interview felt more like an episode of The Apprentice, where my CV was pulled apart and critiqued at length. Rather than a two way conversation with me. Due to this, the atmosphere during the interview and culture did not seem like something I wanted to be part of, which may have been influenced by the individual who interviewed me. The salary was another issue. It was not advertised, and the company invited me to interview knowing my current package. However, they then tried to persuade me to accept a considerably lower salary, framing it as a ‘great opportunity’ to take a step back in order to move forward. When I expressed my willingness to work a temporary post, I was advised that they wanted someone who was looking to stay and potentially move into a different field within the firm later on, although there was no guarantee that any such positions would be available. Ultimately, I was offered the job but decided to turn it down for these reasons.