The first recruiter I spoke with for a phone screen seemed warm and genuine and felt that based on my resume, application, and answers that I had transferrable skills and therefore recommended me for an interview. The interview was over Zoom. For it being 2024, most interviews have returned to in person, and I don't prefer Zoom as it can be hard to get a feel for the vibe of the manager/company. The position was to work for CCSI but also closely with staff from Monroe County. The interview panel consisted of 2 MC staff and 2 CCSI staff. One of the MC staff was very condescending during the interview and would interrupt my answers during the interview to ask questions that 'tested my knowledge' about topics I was discussing. I have a masters in this field and have held positions at 5 non-profit, behavioral health agencies in the Rochester area and have never been put on the spot or made to feel defensive of my skill set or knowledge as I did in this interview. It was clear as I spoke on my work experience that they did not think it was transferrable the way the recruiter did. They were very clearly looking for someone with years of supervisory experience in the field despite that not being listed on the job posting under required OR preferred qualifications. The position in the job posting was made to seem more as a coordinator role rather than a manager role despite the job title. I was asked 2x how I would manage staff despite making it clear I have not held a managerial role before, but explained my philosophy and approach to supervision based on my education and personal experiences (pos and neg) with supervisors. I was asked 3x how I keep myself organized and manage competing deadlines. I can understand asking this once or asking for clarification if I did not answer it thoroughly, however this questions was asked 3 separate times at different points during the interview by 3 separate panel members. It made me question if the members of the panel were listening to my answers at all. But also, tell me you're disorganized and expecting the new staff to fix it without telling me youre disorganized...that was simply another red flag. Based on this interview it was quite clear I was not the candidate they were looking for, which I was ok with after how the interview went (it is a two way street after all). However, when HR emailed me several weeks after saying "We were sorry to hear that you decided to withdraw your application for this role. Should your circumstances change in the future, we would like to encourage you to please reach out again" I promptly emailed back explaining I did not withdraw my application and asked for clarification, such as if the role has been filled. Someone from HR (not the original recruiter I spoke with) replied that they did choose another candidate. This feels deceptive to me, unless the HR person simply hit the wrong button as to the reason my application was withdrawn and it still sent an automated email response. It seems based on the many other recent reviews of this company, I dodged a bullet and a sea of red flags.
