Energy Solutions interview questions

Simply put, the worst interview experience in my 30-year career. I applied on 2/4/2026 and spoke with a recruiter on 2/18/2026. She asked basic questions about my background and vaguely outlined their process. I then met with the Hiring Manager on 3/9/2026, who was a nice enough person and asked basic questions about my background and my interest in the company. It was a slight red flag that there was a three-week gap in the process, but I agreed to proceed as I was taken by their mission. I next met with a panel of 2 Senior-Level Operations people on 3/20/2026, both of whom were very nice, and the meeting was pleasant; they asked more questions about my background and such. This was definitely the best of all of the conversations and left me feeling hopeful. They talked in depth about the company culture, integrity, and professionalism. I was told the meeting would be an hour, but the panelists each only had 30 minutes on their calendars. Another small red flag. Next, I met with a Peer Panel on 3/27/2026, which consisted of two people currently in the role I was interviewing for. They took turns reading questions off a piece of paper while writing down my answers as I replied. Again, I was told the interview would be an hour, but the interviewers had only 30 minutes on their calendars. The red flags continued to mount as I asked them both what they liked and disliked about their roles; they were much more eager to share what they disliked than what they liked. It was also apparent that something may not be great as one of the interviewers did not smile the entire time. I thought this would be the end of my candidacy as I did not feel a connection, but it went on... unfortunately. I move along to what I am assured will be the last stop, meeting with a Senior Exec on 4/13/2026. She introduced herself, went on about how they have a strong policy of not hiring jerks, and then proceeded to ask a few "softball questions". I was not overly enthused about the role by this point, but still very much aligned with their mission and thought I could contribute to their overall success. I then received an automated e-mail on 4/24 saying they were not moving forward and encouraging me to apply again in the future. 79 days, 7 people, 5 interviews... all for a role that I was willing to take about a 40% pay cut for in order to contribute to their mission, which I still think is good. All of that for a form e-mail, with no feedback other than that they think I am a jerk, I guess. My goodness, I know corporate America can be cruel, but I have never heard of a company bludgeoning a candidate like this. How ironic how they preach the values of empathy and integrity and then exhibit none of it while stringing along a candidate.

The interview process began with an initial phone interview, which was then followed by a behavioral interview. During the behavioral interview, I was asked general questions about my background, experiences, and how I approach various situations.