I was referred to Crowe and completed three initial interviews with team members located across the country: one Senior Associate and two Senior Managers, one of whom was promoted to Partner during the process. Two interviews focused primarily on culture fit, while one was more technical. After advancing, I was scheduled for a 15 minute interview with another Partner. This conversation felt noticeably rushed and disengaged, with minimal greeting or genuine interaction. After about 10 minutes, I had to redirect a response in order to ask a few outstanding questions about the team before time ran out. The following day, I received a brief, generic rejection email stating that the team had chosen candidates who more closely matched the role’s requirements. This terse response was surprising given the time invested in the interview process, the original three team members giving me a yes and pushing me forward to a second Partner for a brief time slot, and my aligned experience and success with the stated role requirements. Through my referral and other contacts at the firm from Senior Associate to Partner levels, I later learned there was a hiring freeze at the time of my interviews affecting the department I applied to. The role was reposted a few weeks later in the new year. I reached out to the recruiter to express continued interest but did not receive a response. Overall, the three interviewers I spoke with initially were professional and thoughtful, but the final Partner's communication as well as HR's lack of transparency could have been improved.

The interview began with a warm welcome from the company's HR manager. There were some casual small talk before diving into the interview questions. They asked about the approach to teamwork and problem-solving