I had two rounds of interviews that went very well, and I genuinely appreciated the company culture and the responsiveness of HR. However, my experience changed drastically in the third round.
Before sharing the details, I should note that this company has an unusually long hiring process, longer than anything I’ve encountered, even in my FAANG interviews. In this round, I was asked to join another panel interview. According to the agenda, I was expected to present my case study, followed by questions from the panel.
From the very beginning, one of the interviewers, a junior member of the panel, began interrogating me by going through my CV line by line in an unusually aggressive manner. Despite his lower seniority, this person was in charge of leading the discussion. His approach was so forceful and rude that it made other panelists visibly uncomfortable. When I attempted to push back, I realized his lack of industry experience prevented them from understanding my perspective; he seemed to expect answers strictly from an academic viewpoint rather than practical industry insight.
This interview completely changed my perception of the company, and I no longer feel it would be a positive or supportive place to work.