Initial recruiter screening went really well - straight forward background questions. Person was super cordial and easy to build rapport with. First interview with one of the hiring managers also went very well. Person asked mix of broad and situation-specific questions. Nothing too bad, made me feel comfortable, and noticed a great management trait that they would say what they liked about each of my answers without reiterating or regurgitating what I said which let me know they were listening. Very impressive - left me energized and wanting to work for this person. Second hiring manager interview is what made the overall experience subpar. The person gave me a heads up that they would be taking notes on another screen, but for the most part there wasn’t much direct eye contact and very little emotional response/nonverbal cues. It felt like I was on video talking to a wall. Some interviews are like that, but as a candidate you have to try and maintain your composure and power through. It was a specific question that had me panicking - something I’ve never been asked before - “Describe a situation where you experienced ambiguity and how you handled it.” I should have added in some humor by saying - “you mean like right now?” But instead I tried buying time by asking for clarification. While the question was challenging, it also sort of felt like a trap/trick question the way it was worded, initially. In the future, if an interviewer plans to to ask a question about ambiguity, make sure you’re being clear about what you’re asking so it’s not unclear to a candidate. I always try to learn something from every interview process - whether it was positive or negative - and though I felt like I lost the job at that point in the interview, at least now I’ll be better prepared for future interviews should I get asked this question again. And maybe it will help someone reading this be better prepared for this curveball-type question.

The interview process with Handshake was exceptional. Sean, my recruiter, was very prompt in responding and letting me know what the next steps would entail. I was able to speak with multiple people in the role I was interviewing for which was so meaningful and insightful. It took about a month from my first call to receiving an offer - the process was extended a bit due to a couple of timing circumstances, I'm not sure it would typically take that long.