During the interview, the atmosphere was very pleasant. I was first invited to introduce myself in a few words. Afterwards, I was asked experience‑based questions for which I provided examples and answered to the best of my knowledge. Additional questions were aimed at assessing my broader skills. At the end, there was plenty of time for my own questions, and I was given a clear overview of the next steps in the recruitment process.

I was invited to interview with this organization, and unfortunately, the experience reflected many of the internal issues I had already heard about from some of the locals. The company appears to be struggling with a deeply toxic culture and a huge lack of accountability starting from its own leadership teams. What’s most alarming is that rather than seeking someone to help rebuild their toxic culture, they explicitly stated that "if hired" management from time to time will ask (me) to bypass steps through their hiring process such as noncompliant practices in order to meet goals. And that it would be solely up to me to decide whether or not to break the rules. I responded that I would never go out of compliance and that I would escalate such matters to management, I was then told, “Well, what if your manager tells you that they want to stay out of it?” I thought the answer was clear. That was the moment that felt like I was in the twilight zone. This was the HR Team asking me these questions. It's very clear that they're not looking for a true leader who can implement changes. They want a person who is an order taker and a person willing to compromise their own position in order to take the fall when the time comes.