I want to share my experience with IPS, not because I didn’t get the job, but because certain parts of the process felt surprisingly dehumanizing, especially considering the time and effort invested.
To start with the positives:
The recruiter was outstanding, she was professional, friendly, and very supportive throughout the early stages. I then had a technical interview with one of their senior engineers, which lasted about an hour. It was challenging but fair, and he gave me very positive feedback, saying it was clear that I love what I do, that I have strong knowledge, and that I passed the technical round.
However, things took a very different turn during the hiring manager interview.
In just 15 minutes, I heard several comments that felt unprofessional, such as:
-that he might let employees work remotely during the summer “if they have a summer house,” comparing who would “work from a nicer location” because he has a boat (weird?),
-insisting on salary expectations in an uncomfortable, almost confrontational way (“you must know gross, not net monthly because that is what I only care about”),
-and an overall tone that felt more dismissive than evaluative.
He also spoke as if he had been hired to single-handedly “save the company”, emphasizing that the company used to be a one-man job and that now, after the acquisition, he would be “bringing order.” The way he positioned himself, extremely serious, almost with a God complex and made the conversation uncomfortable. As someone who is usually very chill and easy to talk to, I was genuinely shocked by how heavy and tense the atmosphere was.
He said they would get back to me soon.
They never did.
After two weeks of complete silence, I sent a follow-up email. Only then did I receive a short message saying they had selected another candidate.
After a month and a half of interviews, preparation, and reaching the final stage, it felt very unprofessional that no one notified me of the decision unless I explicitly reached out. I fully understand that companies choose candidates who best fit their needs, but respecting a candidate’s time and providing closure should be a basic standard.
I’m sharing this simply as honest feedback. Hopefully it helps future applicants, and maybe also encourages the company to reflect on how their process feels from the candidate’s perspective.
