Mysterious, behind an arrogant facade,...2 Interviews, after I applied online...1st interview via Skype, connecting with their Cork, Ireland nucleus of sorts...The reserved but somewhat cheerful interviewer did not activate her camera, even though I activated my own. She kept stressing that "We take only the best"(LOL, nice way to build rapport:...stay invisibile, then keep suggesting that very few people are qualified to do what is actually an elementary, and, we've now learned, horribly organized and compensated job)!
The 2nd interview was with an onsite member of management, in the local "Fifth Avenue" style San Francisco office. I was kept waiting for almost a half hour and looked at strangely by the interviewer, when later commenting how nice the coffee was (it really was, actually)! Reception, client facing people were very cool, yet the interviewer was definitely NOT....I couldn't imagine how the title "manager" applied here...What a TERRIBLE communicator!..Shifty eyed, not very engaging. looking at her watch every 30 seconds, and only asking one or two questions. Then, after superficial words, just describing extra work options which were not directly part of the earlier listed job, but which anyone trying to help their company would be ok doing...No real job description, actually, and certainly no appreciation or enthousiasm from the interviewing manager. Just a lot of looking at me like I was ...oh, I don't know,...maybe not young or cool enough?... Oh and by the way, their website job listing encouraged older (retired even)folks to apply.
One got the impression that there was very little accountability in this place, and that if a candidate just had a well groomed, business casual, yet EXPERIENCED look and smile, that was somehow a threat to the manager, who had a childish, mostly snobbish air and majorly casual look! The behavior of the untrained "manager" was just a reflection of many tech world start-up staff, who really are not concerned with community, even though they boast of their various "help society," concerns. They're actually incredibly careless and I think this was an instance of that. At the end of the "interview" there were no real thanks or extending biz cards from the "manager". I wasn't sure if that was a test to see if I would follow through, and I still thought I'd try for the job, so I sent a thank you email the next day, in any case, articulating my interest in helping the seemingly noble place get a few of its goals accomplished at management's convenience...These goals were a little (not too much) outlined to me, as were the options for the various work roles/needs. Then, the day after I sent that thank you message, the first interviewer from "HR" (intentional quotes) winged me back a message saying "bad news...we won't be continuing your application....thanks for your time....blah, blah blak.." Rude and abrupt, even if there was a clear thank-you at the end from that part at least. The interviewer was somehow offended by a basic thank you note?
We later tested their product, and found it wasn't really viable.
What a sham. AND a shame. I'm so glad I woke up to the place, and have now led my investments to more "real" and humane causes. The entire neighborhood is now dumbfounded about them...Or, I guess to them, we're just DUMB and unfounded...but with money to invest in real and appreciative places, of course!
