Recap
I was struggling to find a job, self-esteem got low, got headhunted, and now I'm going through the interview process.
The Many Interviews
After speaking with the recruiter, he eventually organises a Skype meeting with someone from the company that was looking to hire. We jump on a call and thus begins this amazing interview with a lovely guy and a software engineer. The questions were nothing technical, it was fantastic. The environment in which they would engage with you as a human was phenomenal. The questions asked were on topic, but playful. They want to know about you, your passions and whether they could take advantage of that.
During this time chatting, I was somehow hitting the right points of interest for them. Thinking about things like shaders not just in the visual sense, but the mathematical sense too, looking toward self-improvement with what technologies to use. In my case, I've been exploring Rust and how advantageous it can be for products like the company I was being interviewed by as well as how much I miss being a part of a team. These were all things that they aligned with. They said that they would get back to me as soon as they can, which was a week. That got me nervous.
After each interview I was taking notes of what I said and how I could've done better. I think I've mentioned that before, as I think it's the best way to remaining prepared in what you say as you're being interviewed for other companies(in my case, like 30).
1 Week Later
I get a call, they want another interview! Sick! I'm ready. This time was with two other engineers, one of which was a senior. I felt that they were going to challenge me. We began talking some more about their product, what I thought of it and what needed to be improved. I responded honestly, I told them what I liked about it and what I didn't like. Regardless of the fact that I do have a destructive personality - I genuinely do feel that if you're completely honest about what you don't like about something, it'll take you a much longer way than not saying something, as it leaves a perspective for them realise what you could improve upon. As obvious as it does sound, it's a point that's often times missed.
So this time we talked hardware and software. 'What have you worked on?' says ol' mate.
I explained that I have worked on hydroponics projects that involve a fair bit of tech and that's excluding the basics like water pumps, lighting and more Rust-related stuff. They got happy about that as someone else was working on urban farming and applying new tech like Rust into it. We had a few laughs and really enjoyed our conversation as it was really fluid. The best kind of interview. No one was nervous, just a good time. Another tick. "We'll get back to you very soon"
Another Fucking Week Later
I've made it clear that I'm freelancing and have no projects, I've got no work and no means of making income right now and I've been living week-to-week for most of my life. So these two weeks were a complete struggle as I hung on for dear life as I paid the bills and smiled genuinely during our conversations all while silently hoping that each interview was the last one. But the interview process was taking way too long. Normally it's a week or two of intense interviews, but this went on for 4 weeks and was really sparse.
Hey Mate, Like Cannabis?
During this time I was headhunted again. This time by another recruiter who wanted to have a chat about a new role in my city. I was curious, so I had an interview with the guy on the phone. We spoke for about 20 minutes and the we got on like a house on fire. We talked about random stuff that wasn't even related to the role. He then recommended the job role and that he's very comfortable getting me in touch with the CEO of a startup that deals with Cannabis and that it'd only be the one guy. I was stoked. We set the schedule
I'm waiting at the cafe they asked to meet me at. In come 4 men, 3 of which were wearing suits. I was like 'what the fuck'. Then we spoke. They mentioned blockchain, quantum computing and app development. This felt like a laugh to me, but I went along with it. They just wanted to get to know me initially, and with my experience in failing interviews, this felt like round 1. So we conversed for about an hour and had coffee. To which we went our separate ways and left. I got a call the next day, they wanted to organise another interview.
Bit of an Employment Love Triangle Over Here
I met with the startup a few days later and we had another chat and this time it was a little more technical. I genuinely started by saying 'I need to ask, why the fuck do you need quantum computing for cannabis?' And that kicked off a laugh. The rest is hidden under an NDA, but I actually did get my answer and no, it's not for cannabis per se. This interview was great, conversational, friendly and constructive. Then came the serious conversation about salary. I told them that I actually am in the middle of an interview process and that they offered me a large sum of money. These guys were honest and told me upfront that they couldn't honour that amount. But, to me, that was ok. And I made it clear that I needed some time to think this through and that although money is a factor, it's not the decider. We packed up and left to do our thing. My life seemed like it was stitching itself back together. I really really enjoyed speaking with them.
I received a message from the CEO less than an hour later and boy did it have feels. I was really touched by the message sent as it was really thoughtful. That fucking cunt. He made it really hard to decide.
Fast-Forward 2 Interviews - The Final Interview
I finally meet the big guy of the other company. He explained that this has taken a long time because they were mean to fly me over, but couldn't due to Covid-19 and had to organise an emergency meeting with me over Skype. He then went on to explain that their interview process is completely disconnected. That is - they don't tell each other what they thought of the interviewee until the entire process is complete.
Before this call, I was informed that the role was secured for me and that this was the final conversation before things got underway. So I thought that this was a general conversation. We talked a bit and after the previous 3-4 interviews this was a very familiar setup. Over these interviews I did make it clear that I'm someone who's upfront and honest, that I know how to defuse a situation when things start to get ugly(I worked as a bartender for most of my life) and that I am empathic to peoples values, so long as they don't harm others. Then we chatted about video games. It was fun, but something felt off. I couldn't tell what, because it half felt like a good time, but something was off about the conversation.
Toward the end he asked if I had any questions and I was very honest. I told them that I have another job offer and that we've been doing this for 4 weeks and that time is now of the essence. I was suddenly getting upset as this felt like a fuckaround. I told him that I needed to know what was going on by Tuesday next week at the latest(it was Friday). Obviously I wasn't a cunt about it. It's stupid to be demanding, but it's ok to be firm about these sorts of things by this stage. A month is a really long time to manage funds to a poor person such as myself. He assured me that I'll know by Tuesday. I passed that message on to the recruiter for the cannabis startup and that I would be making my decision by then.
Ahhhhh Contemplation
I stressed out over this so badly. I thought about my business partner for the vertical farms(we haven't been generating any revenue yet) and our distance apart as best friends. My girlfriend didn't really care about the distance as she lives way over in Whoop Whoop so it's just another location to her. My family had moved back to their city, so I was here by myself. This was a struggle because I could pay my debts off really quickly if I say yes. But also, this cannabis startup aligned with my values for my business and so I was torn. That weekend sucked and to top it all off - in came imposter syndrome, of course.
In Comes Tuesday
By this time, I was 95% certain that I was going to go with the startup, but I wanted closure. I waited for their call on Tuesday... it never came. I get upset, the fuckers never responded to my follow up Skype message. I even emailed their info page. What the fuck man? I call the recruiter the next day to see what was going on and the recruiter said that he had received a call from the other company today saying that they'd turned down the offer. I laughed and said that's fine because I felt more aligned with the other company and that I was looking to pursue work with them. The recruiter said that he wasn't ok with it as it was a very long process and that he would get back to me to find out why they haven't provided more information.He too, never got back to me.
For 4 fucking weeks I've been interviewed and these assholes couldn't sum up the courage to call me themselves and tell me, give me feedback, or even just say 'nah, we've gone with someone else'. It wasn't the fact that I got turned down that really shit me, it was the disregard for mine - and their employees - time. It was such a crap feeling. How could you not say something that was ever-so -slightly informative? It's pathetic.
But I had no time to stress out about it. I called the CEO of the cannabis startup and told them that I was excited to join their team if they'd have me. I heard a loud clap that sounded a lot like excitement. I was stoked, It feels nice to be a part of a team that is actually looking forward to having you join them. I've since been working at this place and it has been amazingly fun, apart from working from home. Honestly, fuck anyone who thinks working from home is a great idea. It's horrible
What a Ride
So this was my experience with the most time-wasting job interview process of my time. I did note a lot of stuff about myself during these interviews but man, did this stress me out. Dealing with losing my friends to move to a new area and living a whole new life. It was rough. I really hope that my journey helps you out with interview processes and what could happen as well as pointing out some personality types from within the software industry. This has been a learning process for me that I hope I - and everyone else - never has to deal with. No interview should take a month.
Have a great isolation and I hope working from home isn't as shit for you as it is me!