Interviewed for a senior role. Interview process consisted of 3 stage process, with roughly one week between each stage.
Second interview process involved a presentation, followed by 3 rounds of interviewing with approximately 6-8 panel members in total, but the panel changed throughout the process. This process lasted around 3-4 hours and involved repeated questioning on the same or very similar topics. A larger panel in one sitting would have avoided the repetition.
The interview panel consisted of mixed experience, including some junior staff. The lack of deep familiarity with the position's requirements from the junior interviewers presented some challenges during the process.
The current people manager seemed to become defensive when asked about the specific details of the role and potential progression opportunities. This is understandable, as the job description needed to maintain a degree of fluidity due to the nature of the position. However, the vagueness in the expectations for the role created some ambiguity and a lack of clear trust in the process from my perspective. As an example, when questioned on the salary bracket for the role, the people manager quoted my current salary and advised this was 'within budget'. The interviewers ability to provide more concrete information about the responsibilities, growth potential, and performance expectations would alleviate this. The defensiveness from the current manager when pressed on certain points is concerning, as it suggests a lack of transparency.
There were unprofessional undertone at times during the interview process, with perceived dismissive reactions to questions, which included sniggering and exhibiting a condescending attitude from the People Manager and junior colleagues. This perception of an unprofessional/dismissive interview panel culture seems to be corroborated by Glassdoor reviews from current employees.
