Applied for a Bilingual Project Manager position with Koolboks and was invited to interview with the founders. The interview with both founders went quite well, in spite of some back and forth and miscommunications from their HR intern (which I can accept, typical startup growing pains).
I ultimately refused to continue the hiring process however after what I can only describe as the most unprofessional interview I have every had the displeasure of being a part of with their Chief Business Officer. From the get-go, she tells me that she has not read my application materials. That was a red flag to me. The CBO was incredibly disinterested the entire time, and 20-minutes in, she tells me that she doesn't have any further questions. I was shocked at the lack of preparedness. Furthermore, I felt like my words were being intentionally twisted to make it seem like I did not have neither the experience nor the passion for the role. I was under the impression that speaking to me was a chore, and that the CBO had already decided not to hire me (despite allegedly not knowing anything about me). I ultimately decided to retract my candidature and pursue other options.
I was willing to take a huge pay cut to join a team that seemed like it was doing some good in the world, but if the CBO treats stakeholders like she treats potential team members, I cannot say that such a pay cut would be justifiable.
Future candidates: Respect yourselves enough to draw a line in the sand. Do not submit yourselves to a strenuous hiring process only to be disrespected by someone who has no business being in a leadership position.
