1. You’ll be shown their product slides and some processes in the first interview. You might think it’s their way of introducing their company and products. It’s overwhelming because the world doesn’t revolve around their company, but they expect you to think so. 2. You’ll then be asked some questions related to the slides. You’re unprepared, and this reflects poorly on you, although the challenges may stem from the unfamiliar terminology and slightly different processes than those you’re accustomed to. 3. Then they say it’s okay, you’ve done great, and they invite you to the next round. This time it’s face-to-face in their office. 4. They give you the same slides from before, the ones that caught you by surprise. This time, they want you to present the slides the way they did. Naturally, you do your own research to fill the gaps in a short amount of time. 5. On the interview day, you present with your speaker’s notes. You might read most of the text since you have limited knowledge of their product or manufacturing in general. They say you need to skip the notes and be natural, like a consultant to a customer, at a high level. So you try to present at a high level. 6. But then they say it’s too unnatural. You failed to answer their questions just as they expect a consultant to do—sometimes at a high level, sometimes detailed, as if you’ve worked for them for a while. They say you might not be the right candidate, although your technical knowledge is as expected, or maybe you lied on your resume, the whole 20 years of it. 7. You might highlight your confusion. You’ve been working for 20 years in more industries than the interviewers. Heck, they might even be mid-level and senior employees who hardly change jobs. Never in your life have interviewers tried to get a candidate of their choice, identified the gaps, and asked the candidate to fill them right away, literally within a week. You might guess why they can’t find any candidates after reposting for three months, with over 100 applicants.