I spoke with the recruiter during an initial phone screen, and she was very friendly and informative. Another reviewer here said it took a while for HR to respond, that’s true. After the initial phone screen, I was invited to speak with the hiring manager (HM) for a 30-minute call and asked to provide my availability. A week passed with no response (even after I followed up) and I was about to write it off as a ghosting, but I received what seemed like an auto-reply confirming an interview the next day with the hiring manager. (Note: all of HR’s emails seem to be auto-replies/templates).
When I picked up HM’s call, I was greeted with a bunch of noise: they were at the airport, getting in line to catch a flight. Perfect time to conduct an interview, right? As could be expected, they were just as distracted and rushed the entire time as you’d think. And we could barely hear each other the entire call thanks to the constant PA announcements, background conversations, etc. This was immediately off-putting: I put in the time and effort to leave work and find a quiet space out of respect (on limited notice, no less); the HM was too busy to provide the same courtesy or find a better time?
It didn't bode well for the rest of the interview. I didn't want to write the company off based solely on the reviews here from past and present associates, especially since it seemed like they were doing some neat work based on their website, but it was clear to me the reviewers' concerns seemed legitimate based on the questions asked and short discussion we had. I kept questions limited and ended the interview early.
I received a canned rejection a couple weeks later. The feeling was mutual. The hiring manager had an impressive resume/bio to read and I was really excited about the interview. It’s a shame their interviewing skills and representation of the firm weren’t half as impressive.