I’ve been through many interviews in my career, but this was by far the most frustrating experience. The process consisted of nine interviews in total, with the final one scheduled to be with the CEO.
Throughout most of the process, I received positive feedback and was told I was performing well. However, things took a strange turn toward the end. One interviewer mentioned they didn’t like the way I spoke — which was surprising, as I’ve been a professional for over seven years and have never received that kind of feedback. I was even advised to “lower my bass” before one of the later interviews so I wouldn’t “spook” the interviewer. It felt unprofessional and borderline discriminatory. Still, I took the feedback in stride and continued to perform well — the following interview went great, and the interviewer had nothing but good things to say.
The real issue came during my second-to-last interview. The interviewer joined 12 minutes late to a 15-minute meeting. When she apologized, I jokingly replied, “No worries, it’s Thursday — clients usually send everything on Thursdays because they don’t want to be working on Fridays.” It was meant as light humor to ease the tension. Apparently, that comment was taken the wrong way — I was later told my final interview with the CEO was canceled because they interpreted it as me not working on Fridays.
After investing hours into take-home assignments, panel presentations, and extensive preparation, it was disappointing to have the process end over a small, clearly harmless comment. Overall, I felt the experience lacked fairness, professionalism, and cultural awareness.
