Initially, I was very impressed. My application was picked up quickly by Talent Acquisition Business Partner Stuart Anders, who initially appeared professional and friendly. We had a phone conversation about my motivation for joining IRIS, and my application was advanced to the interview stage. I also completed personality and aptitude assessments before the interview.
I was interviewed by Helen Smith and Laura Cundall, who both came across as polite, supportive, and professional. I felt that my interview went very well, and I left a great impression. Unfortunately, I later received an email from Stuart stating that I was unsuccessful. They were impressed with my confidence, articulation, and technical capability, but decided to move forward with a candidate whose background matched closer to the role. Stuart then offered to provide feedback if I'd like and keep in touch. I gratefully accepted and never heard from him again. Given how positive the experience was until this point, it was really disappointing to have it end like this. I sent a follow-up email several weeks later, but had no success. With the effort I have put into preparing for the interview, it was disappointing not to even receive the personality and aptitude assessment results, let alone actual interview feedback. This turned what could have been a positive experience for me into a negative one.