The interview process felt more like a test than a conversation. Both interviews were with the CEO, and the tone throughout felt dismissive and overly critical. The first-round Zoom screening was brief and focused more on giving the “right” answers than discussing my experience or skills. The second-round interview took place in a co-working space with no one to greet me, so I wasn’t sure where to go and had to wander until I found the right room. The interviewer arrived about 15 minutes late, which made me late for a following appointment. Despite this, she frequently criticized minor things, like my choice not to send a thank-you note after the first 10 min interview, even though I felt that was reasonable since I was still deciding whether to continue with the process. While I understand thank-you notes are a common courtesy, the strong emphasis placed on this and the criticism I received for not sending one after a very brief initial interview felt disproportionate. She also asked personal questions unrelated to the role, such as what my parents do for work. She went as far as to dismiss one of my college classes as not very useful and suggested my educational background was unnecessary, emphasizing instead how nice it is to have the opportunity to learn those things with the internship without paying for a degree. This felt dismissive and out of touch, especially since being enrolled in college or having a degree was a requirement to apply. These criticisms felt unwarranted, and the overall tone was more judgmental than conversational. The interview felt like a one-sided evaluation rather than a mutual discussion. After the second interview, I was asked to provide references immediately with an urgent timeline, but none of my references were ever contacted. Combined with a two week delay in communication about the final decision, this made me question their internal process. Rather than engaging in a meaningful conversation about qualifications and fit, the interview felt more like an expectation to praise the company and its leadership without question. Overall, the process was rigid, overly concerned with perception, and lacked clear communication. The emphasis on etiquette felt especially one-sided and hierarchical, rather than a respectful, two-way exchange.

There were two rounds to the interview, the first one was a telephone call, the second one was a Zoom call. Both were short, only around ten to fifteen minutes.