I was genuinely excited about the opportunity, as I have been a fan of the brand for a long time. Based on the product, the company's growth, and its employer branding activities visible on LinkedIn, I had very positive expectations about the recruitment process.
Unfortunately, my experience during the initial recruiter call did not match those expectations. The recruiter joined around 10 minutes late and, throughout the conversation, I often felt that my background and answers were not fully understood.
The discussion focused on only two areas: my experience and my motivation for applying. I had prepared several key achievements using the STAR method, as requested. However, when I briefly paused and said, "Feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions," the recruiter interrupted almost immediately, moved on to the next topic, and did not ask any follow-up questions. As a result, I was unable to present most of the examples and results I had prepared.
After receiving a rejection email, I politely asked for feedback. Given my experience in some of the company's key markets and my current role's relevance, I was interested in understanding where the mismatch occurred. Unfortunately, I did not receive any response.
This may simply have been an unfortunate mismatch between recruiter and candidate, rather than a reflection of the company as a whole. However, based on this experience, the recruitment process felt less professional and candidate-focused than I had expected from the brand's external image.