My interview with HR was very pleasant and informative. I appreciated the conversation and was happy to be moved forward to the next stage with the hiring manager.
My interview with the hiring manager, however, was not a positive experience. Early in the conversation, she shared personal details about living near the CEO and commuting on the same train line, as well as her desire to gain more influence with him in order to point out what she believes the company is doing wrong. This approach did not align with my own values; I tend to respect leadership roles and prefer collaborative, solution-oriented discussions rather than framing conversations around telling others what they are doing wrong.
The interview itself was generally fine, though I struggled with one question and felt her reaction indicated dissatisfaction with my response, despite my efforts to elaborate when prompted.
Toward the end of the interview, she stated that she does not believe in work-life balance. While she clarified that PTO is permitted, she expressed the view that work and personal life cannot both be busy at the same time, implying that one must take priority. I interpreted this as an expectation that work should come first, which is not aligned with what I look for in a manager or workplace culture.
Overall, based on this interaction, I concluded that the hiring manager’s management philosophy and values were not a good fit for me, and it led me to decide that I would not want to work under her leadership.
