The interview process was quick and well-organized. My initial conversation with the HR representative was excellent—truly one of the best interview experiences I’ve had. Unfortunately, the in-person interview with the hiring manager was quite the opposite. From the moment I arrived, I was informed the interview would be 30 minutes shorter than scheduled, which was unexpected but acceptable.
However, the overall interaction with the manager was very disappointing. It felt more like a test designed to trip me up than a professional dialogue. The tone was intimidating, and I got the impression that the manager was more focused on finding flaws than understanding my potential. It also seemed as though they had already decided on another candidate and were simply going through the motions.
Even if I had received an offer, I would have declined based on that experience.
The feedback I received at the end was that I asked too many questions, and the manager felt I struggled to answer without seeking additional information. I found that a bit surprising—especially considering one of their questions was, “What kind of outdoor party would you organize for the employees?” Naturally, my first instinct was to clarify key details like the expected headcount, budget, and whether the team prefers active or more relaxed activities. To me, those seem like reasonable follow-up questions to plan something meaningful and appropriate.
So I suppose that means I ask “an unreasonable number of questions”—guilty as charged, I guess 😄