It’s clear that TutorVerse is new to hiring, and while I believe they have good intentions, their approach raised several concerns.
They’re a very small team (just two people) trying to grow by adding two administrative roles. I can understand wanting to be cautious in hiring, but the way they went about it felt disorganized and inconsiderate of candidates’ time.
The first interview, a 30-minute phone call, was actually quite positive. The interviewer was thoughtful and asked detailed questions about my background. It was positive and encouraging.
Things shifted during the second round. I scheduled what I was listed as a one-hour Zoom interview, but shortly after, I received an email saying it had been extended to 90 minutes! I wasn't asked if that was okay; I was informed of the time change. I had to rearrange other commitments to accommodate. I also asked if there was anything I should prepare but got no response, which was another yellow flag.
The Zoom interview was with the two founders. Their questions were vague and open-ended, making it difficult to tell what they were looking for. As someone with a background in hiring, I know how important it is to be direct and specific. Then, mid-interview, they introduced a project out of the blue -- something that’s typically communicated in advance. The project had potential, but the details were unclear and uneven, which made it hard to respond meaningfully.
After the interview (which went over 90 minutes), I was asked for very specific references: my current direct supervisor, a current coworker, and a supervisor from a job I had over 7 years ago. I explained that I wasn’t comfortable sharing my current supervisor’s info since they didn’t know I was job searching. And the former supervisor was unreachable, as the company no longer exists. They were flexible and said they’d wait until an offer was imminent to contact my current supervisor, which I appreciated.
Then came a request for a third 90-minute Zoom interview. This time, they were more transparent: they sent a test prep topic to prepare and said they’d present a client scenario and a hiring scenario to discuss. That all sounded fine.
But the day before the interview, they sent two detailed projects to complete and bring with me to the meeting -- significantly different from what had been communicated. I already had work and family obligations and couldn’t drop everything last-minute.
It felt like a clear sign they weren’t respecting candidates' time. If they were this inconsistent during the hiring process, I worried it would be the same on the job. I ultimately withdrew from consideration.
I also had concerns about how sustainable it was for a two-person company with 18 tutors to take on two new admin salaries totaling $100–120K. I get that they want to find the “perfect” hire, but in doing so, they may unintentionally push away good people.
I truly wish them the best, but the process made me realize I didn’t want to leave one difficult work situation for another.
