Overall Experience: Negative I applied for a marketing-related position and was later informed during the interview process that the originally advertised role might not be available at the level I applied for. The discussion then gradually shifted toward a content-focused position based on my previous experience. I understand that companies might explore different options for candidates, but I did feel there wasn’t much transparency around the final role and level. Even after I was verbally told I’d been selected, the exact job grade wasn’t very clear and only got confirmed after I followed up for clarification. There was also one comment during the interview that stuck with me. When we were talking about the content-focused role, I was told that “as a Content Creator, you won’t have much pressure.” I understand it may have been meant in a positive way, but it came across as a bit dismissive both of the responsibilities that come with content roles and of my capabilities. It also made me feel like my experience and what I bring to the table might have been somewhat underestimated. The candidate experience could also have been handled more professionally. Reference checks were conducted before I had formally accepted the offer and without prior notification. While I understand this may be part of certain hiring processes, a simple heads-up would have allowed me to inform my referees in advance and ensure they were available. Another thing that didn’t sit quite right with me was during the reference check stage. My referee shared that after giving positive feedback about my work ethic and accountability, the HR representative made a comment like, “I thought she looked fierce during the interview as well.” I get that it might have been meant casually, but it felt a bit out of place and not really relevant to my actual job performance, especially in a professional reference-check setting. From the interview stage onwards, the hiring process felt a bit uncomfortable for me. There seemed to be quite a lot of information shared with my referee, including internal hiring decisions and the company’s thoughts on which role they felt would suit me better. Personally, I felt those kinds of discussions weren’t really necessary to share externally and could have been kept between the candidate and the hiring team. Overall, the interviewers were friendly, but the recruitment process lacked transparency, consistency, and professionalism in several areas. I would encourage future candidates to ask detailed questions regarding role scope, reporting level, benefits, and hiring procedures before making a decision.