The recruiter and hiring manager were both genuinely kind, professional, and easy to talk to. I left the first two interviews feeling excited about the role and the team culture. The overall process started out well organized and positive.
Unfortunately, the final interview with a machine learning engineer was a very different experience. He was curt and dismissive throughout, didn’t follow any clear interview structure, and didn’t ask technical questions relevant to the role. When I asked what he was looking for in a candidate, his response was, “I’ve been sprinkling it throughout the interview, but I’ll repeat it again,” in a condescending tone. It felt like he had made up his mind before we even spoke, which made it hard to engage in a meaningful conversation.
The interaction left me feeling disrespected and unwelcome, which was disappointing given how positive the earlier interviews were.