A screening call with the recruiter, followed by an informal interview with the hiring manager sharing details about the role. I didn’t make it to the next stage in the hiring process.

I applied on their website and was contacted soon after to chat with a Senior Recruiter. The phone call started off ok but the recruiter was very difficult to understand as he has a thick Spanish accent. I understand accents usually fairly well but this one was tough which compounded the complexity of this first step evaluation phone call. At a certain point things got a little weird - I would describe it as slightly antagonistic. I think it started when he asked what my salary expectations were. I gave him number and he advised me to conduct research for similar roles. I said "ok" but I had in fact conducted a lot of this research and had interviewed for several similar positions which paid more than the salary I quoted. The worst part of the phone call came when he asked me in a condescending tone - if I UNDERSTOOD the steps to the interview process..... Yeah, I got it. The next step was that he and a designer would review my portfolio. But I knew by the end of the call, my candidacy would not go any further. It was a disappointing call and a bewildering introduction to a company that I believe in and actively use. It is also strange to have someone with such a thick accent and only what I can describe as a heavy bias, to be the first contact for candidates.