Now that Trustmarque have merged with Ultima I recently had an interview for the new merged company. I’ve been in senior roles long enough to recognise the difference between rigorous questioning and thinly veiled insecurity. One interviewer seemed less interested in assessing capability and more interested in establishing dominance. Answers were interrupted. Context was dismissed. Follow-up questions were framed less as curiosity and more as cross-examination. The tone suggested I should feel fortunate to be spoken to. At one point, I was asked for an example, began giving a structured response, and was cut off mid-sentence so the interviewer could explain how they would have done things. There’s nothing wrong with high standards. There is something wrong with condescension masquerading as intellectual rigour. Interviews are a two-way evaluation. Candidates observe just as closely as companies do. If this interaction is representative of leadership style, I’d question how dissent, challenge, or independent thinking are received internally. If you thrive in environments where ego outpaces emotional intelligence, you may feel right at home. If you value professional respect, calibrate your expectations accordingly.