I attended an interview for a System Engineer role, but unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. The interviewer appeared to have not reviewed my CV beforehand, and there seemed to be a mismatch between my actual background and what they expected. Despite clarifying my experience twice during the session, many of the questions were unrelated to my expertise. At one point, the hiring manager began reading my CV 30 minutes into the interview, only then realizing that my experience did not align with the role’s expectations.
There were also comments made that felt unnecessarily critical and dismissive, which made the conversation uncomfortable and unproductive. Additionally, an HR representative interrupted the session to point out that I should have referred to the topics in an email, placing blame on me for the confusion—when in fact, the expectations weren’t aligned from the start.
I accepted the interview in good faith, hoping for a constructive experience. Unfortunately, it highlighted a lack of preparation and professionalism from the interviewing panel. I’m grateful I didn’t receive an offer, and I hope the company improves their interview process moving forward.