The interview was scheduled to be a 45-minute introductory conversation with the founders. One of the two individuals was 15 minutes late, and we had to delay the interview. The interview started as any other interview, with the founders asking me about myself. I started talking about my experience and career, but before I could even finish, one of the interviewers interrupted me and asked about the company. That is understandable, but I found it odd as it was about my experience, not necessarily the company I've been working for. We continue as one would expect, and I'm asked about a project I mentioned in my resume. This is where the absurdity begins. After listening to me explain the project and my analytic approach for roughly five minutes, the individual interviewing me began to challenge the method I described in the project. I found myself defending myself against an on-the-spot technical challenge from someone who, to my best knowledge, is not a professional in the analytical or machine learning field. The other interviewer remained silent and didn't redirect, even though this line of questioning was eating up most of our time. I was given little to no opportunity to ask my questions or discuss any other topic that might have been more relevant. All in all, it felt like a waste of time and a missed opportunity for both parties. It left me feeling bewildered and with an overall negative view of the company. If this individual is willing to display such ego in an interview regarding a topic they aren't familiar with, I can only imagine what it's like to work with them on a project they're semi-qualified for. Unless you're breaking into the field, I'd stay far away from QuaEra.
