We all have bad days. Some people are dry while others have a nicer personality; it’s a interview screening, not a phone date. I understand all of this! However, being rude is not something that should be covered by the veil of “professionalism”. I had a phone screening that completely changed my idea about Klaviyo’s culture and values. The person who interviewed me had the worst disposition I have witnessed in over ten years of professional experience. No genuine interest, all answers were followed by a “what else...?” Also, it appeared she was reading all questions from monitor while NOT REALLY LISTENING to the answers. I am not sure if they need to call a certain number of candidates to fill their quota or what, but I got the impression this recruiter didn’t like her job at all. Honestly it felt like going to Logan airport and being yelled at by TSA for no reason. Again, this isn’t about me being offended because the person was just dry or challenging, she was just plain rude and didn’t know much about the topic either. I have my share of experience when it comes to interviews in this space and other industries, and with all sorts of people, I have been rejected, I have been liked, I have been disliked, etc. Sometimes, I have said no to an offer and other times I had no connection with the interviewers but a great experience overall, that is life. However, I NEVER felt the need to write a review so you can imagine how off putting this person was, I really didn’t even know how to act... Needless to say, after 20 minutes and after attempting to ask her two suitable questions for an HR phone screening, I told her to withdraw my application. For all candidates out there, especially if you are a self-made person who understands the value of your work: an interview is for you to assess if you like the company too. Why? Simple, they will pay you for the value your created at other jobs, your schooling, etc. Hiring you is not a favor, your talent in a way or another brings money for them. If a company doesn’t treat you with respect from day one, then is not a good place to be. You need to pay student loans, maybe send a kid to school or care for your elderly parents abroad; maybe you or someone you know has a bad health condition... Life has too many stressors to also having to deal with entitled beings.
Also, when looking for a job a person usually does a lot of research regarding who is in the position they are applying for, who the boss is and how does the trajectory looks like for that role, etc. Same with the recruiter.... It’s not a secret that Costumer Success Management is a fairly new role so the candidates/workers have a wide range of backgrounds. I know for a fact Klaviyo has people who were in education, retail and even recent graduates with limited to zero work experience (nothing wrong about that at all, but it shows how diverse these teams tend to be!) This person said all of the CSM at Klaviyo had a costumer success background and that training lasts only a couple of weeks..... also the pay is below average. basically she was acting as if I had a biology background instead of a solid marketing background with account management experience. Klaviyo, don’t have a person who doesn’t understand the industry at all do a phone screening. Is stupid and costs money.