My experience interviewing for all 4 stages at Syd started off on a pleasant note. Towards the end, things went sour. Firstly, I’d like to preface this by saying that interviewing is a two-way street. While the company is allowed to question an interviewee and offer valid feedback, the same right applies towards candidates. Remember, your candidates are evaluating you as a company as much as you may be considering them. The first 3 stages of my interviews (introductory call, technical test and interview and 4 psychometric tests) were pleasant, friendly and professional. The team member/recruiter did a fantastic job—she was swift, kept me in the loop and provided in-depth updates and feedback. They’ve all been nothing but incredibly professional throughout this whole process. However, my final interview with the CEO was nothing short of jarring, distasteful and disrespectful. Firstly, the CEO appeared to be in a foul mood of annoyance, and acted as though I was a colossal waste of time. To begin, I came in with positivity and enthusiasm. I greeted everyone, and proceeded to welcome and answer the questions professionally in good faith and in honesty. I was genuinely looking forward to meeting and speaking with the CEO. Although anxious, I was pretty excited to be learning more about Syd! This was obviously unreciprocated—as the CEO quickly began nitpicking my demeanour. Specifically, the CEO pulled faces of disbelief and disgust whenever I spoke. I was made to feel I was a liar, and that my answers to her questions were complete fabrication. The entire interview was unbelievably hostile, aggressive and negative from the get go, and I didn’t appreciate how I was treated. Attempts to clarify my understanding to her questions were shut down. It was utterly and completely disrespectful and demonstrated a clear lack of professionalism from the company. Nevertheless, when it came to my turn to ask questions, the CEO showed a complete reticence to engage, let alone attempt to string proper sentences for the questions. Every question I’d asked was an opportunity for the CEO to further demean and degrade me. (Despite the fact that I was told explicitly via email that this would be a two-way interview) To illustrate an example: When questioned about team dynamics, I was given an eye-roll of disbelief and an arrogant, one-word answer. I was further made to feel that these questions were offensive in nature. This was the same standard of canned, lackadaisical response I’d received for other questions I’d asked in good faith. However, these questions weren’t challenging or complex. They were standard and straightforward questions I’d receive from candidates as a former HM, and questions I’d frequently ask in other companies with no issue. Arrogance and an unwillingness to answer standard company questions from candidates reveals a lot more about Syd and your culture than the candidate themselves, believe it or not. From start to finish, I was treated truly abhorrently. It felt as though I was dealing with a playground bully—a phenomenon I’ve personally never experienced in 3 years of my professional career interviewing at both respectable companies and startups. I’d made my mind up shortly after the interview that Syd was no longer a company I’d be comfortable working at, let alone have any form of further interaction with the CEO herself. While I appreciate that hiring is tough, and candidates may not be a great fit, the right and professional thing to do would’ve been to reject them, provide constructive or objective feedback if relevant and move on. This is what most companies do—shocking for Syd, I understand. In fact, there’s quite simply NO NEED to deliberately go out of your way to belittle, taunt and bully candidates on the interview whom you think aren’t a good fit. This casts an appalling reflection of your company and is indicative of your own culture and values. Culture starts at the top, and trickles down. And for that, I wish Syd the very best. I’d urge candidates to read through a specific Glassdoor review here about the CEO’s treatment towards an ex-employee, and draw their own conclusions. In hindsight, this is not a company I’d personally work for. As a former HM, I’d never think of bullying candidates whom I didn’t think were a good fit. My only regret is not probing further as to why the employee for the position I’d interviewed had left, and not trusting the specific Glassdoor review of Syd to revoke my participation from the hiring process. To Syd: Treat people with basic human decency. Practice what you preach with elevating workplace culture and life quality. No one deserves to be bullied, taunted or treated disrespectfully, especially when they unequivocally haven’t done anything wrong or illegal. Finally, what goes around comes around.