The initial HR stage was handled professionally and made a good first impression. Unfortunately, the second in-person interview was a very different experience.
One panel member arrived significantly late and joined mid-session, proceeding to sit with their feet propped up high — a posture that came across as arrogant and deeply disrespectful.
What was particularly frustrating was the moment another interviewer was still in the middle of asking me a question, this late-arriving panel member abruptly cut in with "OK, that's enough" — without the other interviewer's acknowledgment, and without giving me any opportunity to complete my answer. The session was hijacked mid-flow, leaving the process feeling chaotic and dismissive.
The questions themselves were rigid and memory-focused, and appeared to be pulled from a generic question bank rather than tailored to the candidate's actual background or experience. This meant that even someone who had genuinely done the work could be marked down simply for not recalling a specific detail on the spot — which is a test of memory, not capability. When I described my approach to tasks — including direct, practical involvement — the panel seemed to assume I was purely a coordinator or ticket distributor, dismissing the technical depth behind the work without giving me the chance to clarify.
This kind of process doesn't test real capability. It favours candidates who perform well under interruption and pressure, while shutting out experienced professionals who simply needed a moment to be heard. A fair interview should create space for genuine dialogue — not reduce years of hands-on experience to whether you can recall the right words under pressure.
I applied through a staffing agency. I interviewed at Deswik (Brisbane) in Feb 2025
Interview
I applied through Seek and initially had a positive HR phone screen, which was professional and straightforward. However, my in-person interview experience was very disappointing.
The interview started with the 2ppl, but shortly after it began, one person received an emergency call and left the room. While he was away, another person entered without being introduced to me, and neither interviewers explained this person’s role. From then on, both the interviewers fired questions at me one after another, creating a disorganized and uncomfortable atmosphere.
For nearly 45 minutes, I felt like I was being roasted with technical questions. I tried my best to answer, but there was little space for me to talk about my background, skills, or what I could bring to the team. The entire process felt micromanaged and purely focused on testing, rather than assessing whether I would be a good cultural or team fit.
This was the first interview in my career where I walked away feeling that, even if I were offered the job, I would not accept it. An interview should reflect professionalism, structure, and mutual respect — unfortunately, this experience fell far short of that.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The entire time, I was seated with a single whiteboard marker placed in front of me, surrounded by interviewers, which made the atmosphere even more intimidating and uncomfortable. Instead of feeling like a professional discussion, it felt like being grilled in an exam setting
Very Detailed Interview. Firstly, HR will give you a phone interview. Then in-person interview. After the interview, you need to take a technical exam. Finally, there will be an interview to meet team