I attended several rounds of virtual interviews but did not receive any outcome. After following up, I was invited to a face‑to‑face interview with a director. While the overall impression was acceptable, the director repeatedly questioned and seemed to undervalue my skills and experience. It appeared that my lack of direct optics industry background was viewed negatively, despite this being known in the first place. My suggestion to management is to avoid investing candidates’ time if there is no genuine interest in hiring individuals from outside the industry. Advise for candidates, if your background is not in the optics industry, do not waste your time.