I was contacted by a recruiter early in the week to interview for a job I had not applied for and wasn't really that interested in, to do a phone interview that would take place later that week. They had found my resume from the job bank when I submitted my resume for other jobs. Prior to the call, I had e-mailed the recruiter questions about the my suitability for the job they're asking me to interview for as it didn't sound like a technical position that would have been more up to my skill set. I never did got a response. I did however get a missed call from the interviewer. Apparently, the recruiter didn't give the interviewer the correct time I was available to take the call and we had to reschedule. My 2nd phone interview was confirmed for 2 days later. As per my usual routine prior to the interview, I did a lot of research on the technology of the area of the company and, in general, be prepared to also ask questions and not just answer them. I should have seen the lack of communication from the recruiter/HR as a bad omen. In hindsight, given that I had questions as to my suitability to the role and my lack of interest, I should have just replied back to the recruiter with a, 'Sorry, but not interested, not according to my skillset.'
The interview could be broken down in 4 sections: Introduction to the group/department, questions/clarifications on experience, skills/knowledge/scenarios test, and lastly Q&A time for me to ask any questions.
The first part was generally the interviewer talking. The second part was a good exchange on my end describing my own past experiences. The third section was a bit more tough as it was not technical questions that I had anticipated. It was more operational/business side and certainly doesn't play into my core strength and competencies. At this time, I asked if the position was technical it was becoming clear to me that the job was more for business end of the operations. The call ended pretty shortly after that clarification.
I didn't get the job to no surprise as it's not something that I would even have applied to (which in this case I didn't). I would say that this interview was difficult for me, but only because this is not my area of knowledge nor experience. The scenario questions sounded fair and basic to me, if I came from this business background. I think someone else with the appropriate experience would have been able to pass that test with relative ease. In hindsight, I regret that I didn't push the recruiter for more clarification when I raised the questions regarding the job description not matching up to my skills, experience and interest. I felt bad for the interviewer who probably felt this was a waste of their time. I would say this was a frustrating experience for me as I felt I was asked to interview for a job I wasn't interested in and it's not even in my field area, not to mention the miscommunication over the initial phone interview. At least I was able to garner some information about the company that I wouldn't have otherwise. When questioned about work/life balance, the interviewer replied with -intense work, stressful perhaps and not too much work/life balance, but you'll never get bored. Another note is that they have a great group of people who would be willing to help you and support you.
My current experience thus far makes me hesitate to apply for other jobs within the company, but I'm chalking this up to just an HR mistake and a good learning experience for me at least. Next time, I'll make sure if I'm approached for a job I didn't apply for, to clarify and insist on getting my questions answered prior to moving forward.