Started as expected. Received a call from HR to attend an in-person interview. I attended and the interview was pretty standard and went well. Things got weird from here. Rather than call me I got a text from the operations manager asking me to call her. I did in less than an hour and did not hear back all weekend. She then texted me again to call her. I do not know why she couldn't initiate a call. They asked me to come back in for "Pre-employment Preview" where I would watch someone do the job for an hour to "make sure I liked it". That was the pretense. When I got there the hiring manager said she had a last minute meeting that just popped up so she would be in her office but to make sure I stay until she is done so we could talk about it. I did the preview and during it the employee was telling me about their attrition. This position couldn't stay filled for 3 years she said. Naturally I asked why she thought that was. We discussed some of the challenges such as mandatory 50 hour work weeks which only recently changed. After the hour the manager came and said she had to do something else and didn't have time to talk but she would touch base Monday. Monday came and went....and Tuesday....and I got an automated email Wednesday that I was not selected. I was confused but accepted it. I texted the manager and asked for feedback while thanking her for the opportunity. Her communication skills did not improve and she didn't respond. I waited and emailed HR asking the same. No response. It is usually professional courtesy if you get an interview and are denied to get at least a phone call and/or feedback. I later learned that what happened was the manager did not have a meeting but was monitoring the preview secretly in her office and did not like that I asked why people were not staying in this job. I found this out from a current employee. Trust me when I say this is not sour grapes but as a word of caution if you want to work somewhere transparent, honest, and with good communication this place had all the red flags.

The interview was smooth sailing, with no challenging questions. It proceeded quickly and effortlessly, leaving a positive impression. Overall, it was a straightforward and pleasant experience, making me feel confident.