I originally applied for this role in January and was contacted in June for an initial conversation. The in house recruiter was lovely and explained the context of the role, the interview process, and the expectations clearly. I was then invited to a first stage interview, which was scheduled for 40 minutes.
The interviewer was friendly and personable, and gave a helpful overview of the team and role. The interview itself lasted around 1 hour and 10 minutes, and covered my CV, technical skills, and two competency-based questions. I left the interview feeling positive and was delighted to be invited to a final interview the very next day.
For the final stage, I was sent a scenario to prepare a presentation for a two person panel via Webex. I was told the structure would be: a 15–20 minute presentation, 15 minutes of Q&A, followed by three competency-based questions.
Up to this point, the experience had been great. I delivered a 16 minute presentation (I timed it) to the original interviewer and a Product Owner. However, the Q&A went on for over 30 minutes which was led by the PO. At times, the tone felt more interrogative than collaborative, and I felt as though I was being tested or trying to be “caught out.” As the Q&A overran, there was only time for two competency questions. By then, I was quite flustered, and my first answer didn’t reflect me well though I recovered and answered the second one strongly.
Whilst I do understand not every interview will go perfectly, I left feeling deflated. What really disappointed me, though, was the follow-up. A week later, I received a generic rejection email which appeared to be one used for CV rejections. It didn’t acknowledge that I had progressed to final interview or spent hours preparing a bespoke presentation. It also stated they couldn’t provide feedback due to the number of applicants, which felt impersonal given I had reached the final stage.
Overall, the process started out positively, but the final experience felt misaligned with the care and effort I’d put in. I’m sharing this feedback in the hope that future candidates who invest significant time and energy are offered more thoughtful communication at the end of the process.
