The process started with email communication, which went well enough. However, things began to go wrong on the day of the interview. It was supposed to include the recruiter, CTO, and COO. On the day, the recruiter was absent, and the interview was split between the CTO and COO.
First, I met with the CTO, who apologized for the COO’s delay. He seemed enthusiastic and professional, asking questions relevant to the role and the kind of work I would be doing. After he left, he returned a while later with more questions, as the COO had still not arrived. We effectively had a second round of questions without the COO.
Finally, the COO arrived, and the atmosphere shifted dramatically. She began by stating that they didn’t really need anyone, despite my application being submitted in response to a job ad and her previously confirming the salary range via email. The questions became personal, including asking for my birth year and day to determine my Chinese zodiac sign. Most of the discussion focused on convincing me to work as a contractor, even though it was unclear what the role entailed or whether they actually needed someone, based on her earlier comments.
The interview ended abruptly because she needed to leave for dinner. I was instructed to follow up with the recruiter to arrange another interview with the head of graphics. I wrote to the recruiter but didn’t receive a response for a week. After that, I waited another two weeks while the recruiter reportedly tried to get an answer from the COO, only to be told they didn’t need anyone.
Overall, it was not a great experience and, at times, quite strange.
