Emailed me to set up phone interview time. Interviewer called 10 minutes late- but explained why they were running behind. Interviewer was nice and easy to talk to and seemed like he enjoyed his job. Phone interview lasted 20-30 minutes. The questions were basic. They followed up a few days later informing me that they decided to go with a different candidate.

The interview itself was okay, but both interviewers joined about 10 minutes late and didn’t acknowledge or apologize for it, which felt off. What stood out even more was that the meeting invitation specifically asked candidates to log in early in case of tech issues, yet the delay was attributed to technical difficulties. It came across as a bit of a double standard. The interview also felt more like a one-way evaluation than a conversation. I understand interviews are somewhat formal, but the best ones feel like a mutual exchange. This one didn’t quite get there, which made it harder to get a sense of the team. The company’s mission is genuinely meaningful, and I respect the work they do. However, the interview experience didn’t reflect the level of professionalism I was expecting. Also, skipping a recruiter phone screen and going straight into a panel interview for the first round felt unusual compared to a more standard interview process.