I had an interview for the tech ops role at Roku, which was a contract position. The initial interaction was a 15-20 minute phone call chatting with a recruiter to see if I align with the role and if there are any red flags on their end. The second interview I had was with the hiring manager. This is where I realized I didn't want this role any longer.
The interview with the hiring manager was suppose to be 30 minutes - 1 hour long and it was going to be over Zoom due to the pandemic. When I joined the call, the interviewer was 15 minutes late and was running errands. He told me to call back in 10 minutes when he gets home. When I called back, his connection was bad and blamed me; however, I already did multiple test calls to make sure my signal was strong and working. I ended up calling through phone and this is where the interview just went South.
I understand we're in a pandemic and that almost everyone are working from home. It seemed so unprofessional, however, that a hiring manager has an interview scheduled but has his children screaming, playing, and being loud in the background without being in another room. I could also hear the microwave being turned on and that the manger started washing dishes while interviewing me. It was so distracting, I couldn't even concentrate when I was talking about my skillset and experience. Throughout the entire interview, it seemed like his attention was not focused on our conversation, but more so his snacks and errands.
Aside from the unprofessional noise in the background, he made rude comments about my work experience. Keep in mind, I am coming out of an industry that focuses mainly on consumer goods, but I have the skills for this role due to side projects and education. The interviewer made a comment and said that I am " just a retail employee" which left such a bitter taste, yet he tried to play it off and say he doesn't want to offend me. He mentioned my age, which is illegal, and just said that I would need my hand held the entire time, which he doesn't want. Throughout the entire process, I was so bitter but I kept my mouth shut because I wanted to be professional and act as if this was fearless feedback, but I already made up my mind that this manager is somebody I would never want to work for.
To put the cherry on top, the interview only last 35 minutes with the manager telling me he had something to do. I realized that if my time isn't valued when I am providing my interest in working for this company, then I know it will never when I actually am working for this company. I never gave feedback to the recruiter about my experience due to my fear of being blacklisted, but the interview has left such a negative experience that I know that I will never want to work for Roku ever.
My message to the hiring manager. I hope you work on being a better leader. The unprofessionalism that was displayed has most likely turned away a lot of great talent.