The first stages of the process were genuinely positive. I completed an in-person task and presentation with Andy, who was fantastic throughout. He was welcoming, engaged, and gave me the opportunity to properly demonstrate my experience and approach. It was one of the best parts of the process. Unfortunately, my experience at the final stage was very different. I was expecting to meet with the CEO, but the Head of Operations also joined the call, which I hadn't been made aware of beforehand. The interview was scheduled for 30 minutes, however the CEO joined late and the meeting lasted around 15 minutes in total. The questions were very surface level, and I was only asked 2 questions before long periods of silence. I had spent a significant amount of time researching the company and preparing for the discussion, but I struggled to build any meaningful conversation as many of my questions were met with very brief, one-word responses. I found myself driving much of the conversation just to keep it flowing. One comment that particularly stood out was when the CEO said, "I can teach account management, but not passion." I found this surprising because, throughout much of the interview, he appeared disengaged—often resting his head in his hands and looking around the room while I was speaking. Whether intentional or not, it gave the impression that he didn't want to be there, so hearing a comment about passion felt somewhat ironic. It also wasn't directly related to the question I had asked, which made the exchange feel even more confusing. The feedback I received afterwards was that other candidates had a stronger cultural fit due to experience working with teams in the Middle East. I found this surprising because I wasn't asked any questions about my experience working with different cultures, international teams, or how I adapt my communication style. Had that been explored during the interview, I would have welcomed the opportunity to discuss it. Overall, I came away feeling that the final stage didn't give me a fair opportunity to demonstrate my experience or suitability for the role, which was disappointing after investing considerable time in the process. That said, I have nothing but positive things to say about Andy and the earlier stages of the interview process.