After an initial recruiter screening and two follow-up calls with the recruiting firm, I was scheduled for a technical interview with the Dollar General AI/ML team. I spent a full week preparing, including researching the company, studying relevant technical material, and preparing interview narratives.
The morning of the scheduled interview I received a message that it was cancelled, citing that they were "looking for candidates with more mathematical and statistical background." No further explanation was given.
I hold an MS in a quantitative field and have 5+ years of combined data science and machine learning experience. The stated reason did not align with my background or the job description requirements.
Cancelling an interview the morning it is scheduled is disrespectful of candidates' time. I would encourage Dollar General to either conduct the interview and make their decision afterward, or provide honest and timely feedback earlier in the process.