The first interview was over the phone with HR. The experience was similar to what you'd expect from meeting a recruiter over the phone. Although they started with positive comments about my portfolio which made me feel more comfortable being myself. I was invited to an in-person interview right after. My guess is that decision was already taken but they wanted to allow HR to do its due diligence and process.
The second interview (in-person) was relaxed. I met with four people on the team. They were all nice and friendly. They had my resume printed, had seen my portfolio online and asked good questions. It went well and we all joked and laughed a bunch at the end!
The HR person gave me a tour of the office, which was nice. The office had a good vibe based on my very short interaction.
In the third and final interview I met with higher level people in the organization, people from teams other than the one I had applied to join. That was also a good experience. I walked them through an example of my work that the HR had requested for before the meeting. Although a couple of people on the interview panel were unaware of the assignment, they managed to catch up quickly.
I ended up not getting the job, as throughout the interview process and meeting me the hiring team decided to change the job description and title. I’ve been on the hiring end and know such things happen, especially in small organizations, but it still came to me as a surprise.
Although the change in the job description cost a lot of my time and theirs, I enjoyed myself during the interviews and getting to know the organization. This seems to be an organization with potential. They may need to establish some more structure to help them with find good talent and manage it. Needless to say establishing structure is a double-edge sword!
