I interviewed for an instructional design/e-learning role at the FCA via Teams. The process felt poorly structured and at times unnecessarily dismissive. The role description specifically requested a strong portfolio, and I had already shared both my CV and portfolio link before being invited to interview, so I assumed my work had already been reviewed to some extent as part of the screening process. During the interview, the panel asked mostly generic questions and gave little indication of what they were actually looking for. When I offered to tailor the portfolio walkthrough to their preferences, I was told to choose freely. I initially showed a Synthesia-based example but was interrupted abruptly with a comment along the lines of, "We know what Synthesia looks like; show us something else.” I then moved to a Storyline example, after which one interviewer asked, with what felt like a smirking tone, "What do your colleagues think of your work then?” The atmosphere became uncomfortable and adversarial rather than exploratory or professional. I left the interview feeling that the panel had already formed a negative view before the discussion had properly begun. Candidates may benefit from asking for clearer expectations in advance regarding portfolio presentations and technical depth.