One of the stranger and more baffling interview experiences I‘ve had. The first was ok – very casual if not meandering. Few questions about my experience and more details on the agency as a whole, which were mostly helpful. When I asked about how the teams work together, I got vague answers about how everyone’s kind and works together. But the kicker was the second interview. I was warned the interviewer was gruff but experienced. I thought I was ready, but I can confidently say I’ve never met someone so arrogant and flippant in a first-impression conversation. And that says a lot in this industry. The interviewer immediately came onto the call saying he didn’t look at my book or even know the call was scheduled. (Both calendar invites were hastily sent after I let the recruiter know no one had sent anything). Fine, people are busy. And I figured this agency leaned heavily on personality fits, so I thought maybe he’d ask about my general experience or story. He did, only to interrupt me and ask that I screenshare my book. Fine! Sure enough, he interrupted me during my walkthrough too, then abruptly said he’d look at my book on his own time. He half seriously asked if I had any questions — I tried to salvage any goodwill that was left between us and asked about how he got to o2kl, and the kinds of clients he expected me to work on. He had interesting things to say about how he cut his teeth at other agencies, but was visibility bored talking about his clients, even bridling at any follow-up q’s about the team structure and day-to-day. We hung up maybe 15 minutes into the call. I knew where he and I stood after. I also know that no matter your standing or perceived talent in this industry, no one deserves to be treated like that in any first-impression interview, period. Your tenure and connections here only get you so far. I mean, look where it got these guys – a shop with a barely useable website, with clients more boring than drying paint.