Unnecessarily long interview process for a startup. Five rounds: one with a recruiter, one with the CEO, a homework assignment/presentation with the HM (which was actually the first time I met him — no proper intro or normal interview questions) and a senior AE. Then I was told if I moved forward, there would be two more rounds — a one-on-one with the HM and another with a senior leader. I didn’t pass the presentation, which was frustrating because I’m pretty sure I did well, and I have a very solid network in hospitality. The CEO and HM were nice enough, but the culture felt a bit bro-y. The recruiter was also just hard to work with — never replied to emails or confirmed anything, just sent calendar invites. Thankfully they all came through, but that’s a weird way to schedule interviews when you don’t even have access to the other person’s calendar. And then after all that, I got an auto-reject from a no-reply email. It really didn’t feel like they ever wanted me to work there. Honestly, I probably dodged a bullet.

Casual recruiter screen phone interview. Interview with hiring manager. Interview with a top performing AE. Mock pitch with hiring manager, top performing AE, and sales director. Final interview with the sales director.