During the first technical round, I was asked to write a simple BASH script and I was allowed to access online documentation, Google things and even use AI as long as I shared my screen. This gave me a quite positive impression that they were not only evaluating technical skills but also a way of working, thought process and communication. Later it turned out to be a misrepresentation of their actual process and culture.
When I visited the office, things started falling apart. The office manager was rude to me after informing that the system at entrance didn't allow me to move on without entering a company name, which should be simply optional. I think the person was so mad at me, I was not even offered a glass of water.
A day after the second and final round, I received an offer. I had only a few hours to make a decision, which contradicted what the (hiring) manager in the office told me that I would have a week to sign the contract digitally.
They also weren't transparent about key parts of the job and recruitment process, such as on-call duties and background checks. While these were just fine for me, they could also be a dealbreaker because not everyone can be on-call, and the entire recruitment effort could be a waste of time.
In the beginning of the following week, an HR representative called me and asked about my diploma, how it looked, whether my name was on it. I was expected to answer these questions immediately as if my diploma was hanging on the wall next to me. I was not even allowed a moment to think if I had it with me. This felt more like a test of my memory than a verification of my credentials.
Then the representative told me I should take a picture of my documents and send via email. I couldn't because the representative did not send a list of the required documents along with the invitation to visit the office and sign the contract even though it was mentioned on the call. I even said that I could visit the office so they could scan all my documents.
Furthermore, the representative told me that I needed a penal register record, which I had already downloaded. A moment later, the representative was still telling me I needed it, so repeating things multiple times as if I didn't understand.
Speaking of miscommunication, the HR representative checked all the boxes.
I was proactive so I actually saved some documents on Google Drive and was just waiting for the official email from the HR representative so I could share.
In the end, it didn't matter if you passed all the interview rounds because you could still be rejected or even worse, the company would withdraw their offer if you couldn't pass the HR evaluation which had nothing to do with my ability to provide documents or pass a background check but felt like it was based entirely on the representative's personal view and ego.
Their culture is basically that they believe they know everything and that they "do GOOD," which is only true in their name, not in practice.
They have no centralized system where we can upload documents after accepting the offer. Instead, all work is done manually, which is basically an invitation to a security breach.
In 2017, I was rejected because they were only looking for candidates with EU residency due to "all legal issues connected with getting a work permit." I don't think there were any issues with getting a work permit. I cannot say if the person was lying but it was absolutely misleading to a potential candidate.
Therefore, I decided to reach out to a manager, as I believed it would speed up the process and prevent miscommunication.
However, since 2023, it seems things have not improved at the company. In terms of quality, I see nothing good.
Basically, run away from them!
