I interviewed for the Office Administrator/PA position at Photon Design and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience.
I arrived 10 minutes early out of professionalism, but was met with a snide comment from the CEO upon his late arrival. The first interview question I was asked was shockingly inappropriate: "How do you feel about women being allowed to work?" — an outdated and sexist question that immediately made me uncomfortable.
The interview process was unnecessarily long (over 2.5 hours) and included a series of unrelated tests. While I did very well in the relevant MS Word and Excel tests, and scored 66 WPM with 96% accuracy on the typing test (despite being interrupted), the CEO dismissed my performance and focused on minor criticisms. He then presented a set of complex maths problems — unrelated to the role — admitting they were not necessary for the job, but to "spot exceptional people." When I didn't complete them, he began explaining the answers in a condescending, teacher-like manner.
Throughout the interview, I was asked a series of irrelevant and sometimes patronising questions. When asked about my salary expectations, I gave a figure that was in line with the original job advert (£35–37k), only to be told it was "very high for [my] skill level" in a dismissive tone — despite having performed well on the relevant tasks. The salary now seems to have been reduced on the ad since.
The CEO also questioned the validity of my CV because I created it using Canva, suggesting that as an "administrator" I should have used Word, and pressed me to explain exactly which template I used — a bizarre and unnecessary line of questioning.
Overall, the experience left me feeling belittled, undervalued, and uncomfortable. There was a clear lack of respect and professionalism throughout the process. I never received any follow-up or feedback, despite the time and effort invested.
I would advise future applicants to read existing reviews carefully. My experience aligns closely with what others have shared — a disrespectful interview process that seems to prioritize ego over real assessment or professionalism.
