The interview process started off strong. The recruiter was excellent—professional, personable, and clearly very good at her job. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience felt disorganized and confusing, especially when interacting with the other department. It honestly felt like a waste of time. While speaking with the recruiter was a highlight, her manager came across as unimpressive. To be blunt, I’ve had smoother experiences waiting in line at the DMV. As for the hiring manager, it was disappointing to speak with someone who didn’t appear to be qualified or technical. It was frankly embarrassing to be interviewed by someone lacking relevant expertise. At a certain point, I began asking more pointed and challenging questions because I got the impression I was being considered for the wrong team entirely. It didn’t help that one of the managers openly expressed dissatisfaction with their current situation and lack of direction. That kind of negativity sets a concerning tone for any candidate. This happened awhile ago.

Not sure whether I was speaking to a human who had a role to fill or an AI that they were trying to train off the conversation. I thought it was a human but some of the chatter online makes me wonder.