I applied on 7/4/22 and was asked about an interview the next day. I'll admit, I got the dates mixed up that I said I would be available for, but instead of HR asking for clarification - it was scheduled.
I joined the Teams meeting to find the CEO disorganized, almost blaming HR for not having my resume prepared for him - he pulled it up on his phone. Okay, an interviewer *could* use their phone in some cases, but it's *polite* to put the phone face down or better yet - away - when done. I suppose blaming others and having a cell phone on the table is a personal reference, except it's a red flag for me; unpreparedness and placing blame is not professional.
When explaining what your company does - don't spend 15 minutes (almost half of the interview) telling me about it. There is more to an interview than you - probably the candidate you're looking to hopefully hire? There really weren't any probing questions on how I would handle a situation, or why I thought I would be the best candidate; I volunteered to give that information. If the CEO doesn't know how to successfully conduct an interview, there probably should be a member of HR there to assist. Or the CEO shouldn't be there.
When I asked what "work-life balance" was like, he proceeded to list off that his entire family works for him, and a majority of his friends, along with their family. That wasn't the question. I asked "work-life balance", not "How many of your family members do you employ?". That blatant disregard of the question shows disinterest in the candidate, and your current employees.
Finally, the CEO said at the end the interview wasn't really an "interview". It was left up to me to reach back out to HR if I wanted to pursue the opportunity. It is always up to the candidate if they want to accept an offer - but to say what was subject lined for a meeting as "Interview for (position)" *wasn't* really an interview, and you're the CEO who is the only person making decisions in a "flat management structure"? Needn't say more.