I applied online and received an invite for a phone screen. The phone interview was pretty standard with behavioral questions and a quick chat about the company's culture and future outlook. I then received an easy case study to complete and was invited to the office for a three-hour long interview with a few people from different teams. All the interviewers were nice, upbeat, down to earth, and love what they do, except one person, who appeared tired, uninterested, disruptive, and all-around unpleasant. He constantly cut in when I was talking and asked unintelligent questions that shouldn't have been asked if he'd been actively listening to my answers. Because other interviewers have been quite delightful, I assumed interrogation might just be this person's interview strategy. However, at some point, he yawned, pulled out his phone, repeatedly interrupted, and appeared very presumptuous. At this point, I could see that he was simply disrespectful and probably miserable to be there. This interviewer was not getting to know me as a person but was expecting certain answers and trying to disprove everything I said. Based on my own research, I had a good impression of the company and some confidence in its future direction, but the interview with this person reminded me that even if you might work for a great company, the team you work directly with can be unpleasant and management can be downright oppressive. Though I accepted another job offer, I did not consider this last interview a waste of time. This was a valuable experience for me to see what and who contributed to this successful startup. That being said, as a candidate, I'm looking for a good fit as much as the company is looking for one and this isn't it.
Advice:
- The office interview was too long and somewhat unorganized. Instead of four/five 1:1 interviews, two or three panel interviews would be more effective.
- Please be prepared and respectful to all candidates. A disrespectful manager/interviewer reflects very poorly on the company.
