The first question I was asked was why I wanted to join the company. Prior to the interview, they had shared materials about the company, which I reviewed carefully. I genuinely spoke about my interest in the product and how it aligns with my past work experience. However, I was then asked if that was the only reason I was applying for the role. I answered honestly and shared that I was recently impacted by a layoff, which is also why I’m actively looking for new opportunities. The way the question was framed and followed up felt abrupt and somewhat discouraging. While I value transparency, the interaction left me concerned about the tone of the interview and whether the company culture would be supportive of candidates and employees during challenging situations.

I talked on the phone for an initial HR screen to discuss the general outline of the role and then was sent a take-home coding challenge with one week to complete it.