Shocked with Interview Process - Felt Rigid and Misaligned with Reality - Interviewee Wavestone Employee Review

I recently interviewed with Wavestone and left the process disappointed—not because I wasn’t selected, but because I felt fundamentally misunderstood. The experience left me questioning whether the firm values intellectual curiosity or just wants canned enthusiasm. I interviewed for a role and was left genuinely disappointed by the experience—not because of the outcome, but due to the way my motivations were misunderstood and dismissed. Despite having a solid track record in financial services (the exact industry Wavestone focuses on), I was told I “didn’t seem motivated to work in FS.” This was after I explicitly expressed both appreciation for their FS focus and explained I wanted broader exposure to strengthen the value I could bring to that space, as well as showing curiosity about some of the pain points I also shared my interest in working on projects at the forefront of innovation, particularly in data and AI consulting. Instead of engaging with that ambition, I was repeatedly told that “you don’t work in tech; you just consult on it.” That’s obvious—I’m not trying to be a software engineer. If I were, I’d be learning to code. I want to work with tech, not code it—the whole point of advisory work in AI/data strategy. The interviewers seemed more interested in rigidly testing whether I’d echo back buzzwords than actually understanding my perspective and motivations. The process was well structured, but if you're someone with a strategic mindset, a desire to work on cutting-edge projects, and the ability to think beyond rehearsed answers, this might not be the place for you.