Honestly the worst interview experience I've ever had. After a promising phone interview with HR/a recruiter, I was asked to attend an in-person interview. The job was remote, so the interview was to be held at a hotel near the airport where the interviewer flew into. I did mention that this location was quite a way outside of the city and would be a little challenging to get to, but I was excited about the position and felt good about the initial phone interview so I was happy to do it.
When I arrived at the interview and we sat down, one of the first things the interviewer said to me was "I have to be honest, I don't see you as a good fit for this position. I've seen many more qualified candidates, but if you'd like to convince me otherwise, go ahead."
The less than 10 minute interview continued along the same vein, with her explaining that they were looking for someone "who would do anything to close the deal" and who "was comfortable lying" to do so. She then told me that she had looked up my social media before the interview and suggested I change my profile photos to be more professional, because my current ones were "too quirky" and didn't fit with the position or Collette's culture. We finished the interview with her telling me that I should look into tour guiding with a smaller tour/travel company, because I was so "quirky." I am aware that those positions are for recent college grads, pay minimum-wage, and do not supply health insurance, and as someone who has an advanced degree in this field and who has been consistently working in the industry, I found that to be completely disrespectful, on top of the rest of it.
I feel it's important to note that I was dressed and carried myself professionally during this process, and had been asked to this interview after an already semi-extensive phone screening by the company's recruitment officer. If the interviewer felt this way going into it, I am not sure why I was asked to the interview in the first place, for which I took a day off work and a 90 minute/$50 round trip Uber ride. The only explanation I can come up with is that this was some sort of "Sales Test," which I obviously and thankfully failed. Regardless, I'm at least grateful that this company showed its true colors in the interview process, instead of getting hired and then learning what kind of business they truly are.
The whole experience was unprofessional, disrespectful, and insulting. My recommendation is to stay as far away as possible, as this is clearly the way Collette's top leadership sees fit to conduct itself and represent it's company.
