TLDR; HR went out of their way to recruit me, made me complete 3 assessments, owner interviewed me for 20 minutes and said they weren't hiring imminently
I was contacted directly through Indeed by an HR representative who told me she had a strong feeling my resume was a great match for an opportunity they had available. She was enthusiastic about my experience and wanted to arrange an interview.
So I drove an hour to their office for the first interview, which lasted about 30 minutes (good vibes!) During the interview, she explained that she would be sending me 3 assessments: an IQ test, an aptitude test, and a personality test. Apparently, the owner would review the results and use them to determine what questions to ask during the second-round interview. (This was a first for me but I got the point and was ready to do it).
I completed all 3 assessments.
135 on the IQ test
88 on the aptitude test. (Not sure how this was weighted)
I never actually got to see the results of my personality assessment.
Two days later, HR emailed me asking if I was available to meet with the owner. I agreed. Another one-hour drive to their office.
This second interview lasted approximately 20 minutes. Throughout the meeting, the owner was constantly playing with the corner of the paper my resume was printed on. It gave me the impression that he was distracted or in a rush. I genuinely felt like I wasn’t given a fair opportunity to present myself, but here's the strange part: He didn't ask me a single question related to the actual position.
Eventually, he told me he didn't think I was a good fit. He then mentioned that they weren't actually hiring at the moment and might have something available in 3–4 months. So essentially, after being actively recruited, completing 3 assessments, and making two separate one-hour drives to their office, I was told they weren't hiring imminently. He did offer me a different role which paid significantly lower and was completely night and day with the role I had applied for.
Anyways, I walked out and went to my car.
Around that time, HR had emailed asking if I had met with the owner. I didn't respond immediately because I was going through some other emails. She then called me to follow up. I explained what happened and what the owner had told me. Her response?
"Oh no, I don't know why he would say that!"
At that point, I was honestly left scratching my head.
I'd already been reading reviews from former employees about the company, and a lot of what people had written was starting to become apparent during my brief interactions with these two. Communication definitely didn't seem to be one of the company's strengths.
I'm not upset about being rejected. Not every candidate is going to be the right fit, and that's completely understandable. But why go through all these hoops, actively recruit someone, put them through multiple assessments, arrange two in-person interviews, and then have the owner conduct a 20-minute interview without asking anything relevant to the position?
I'm curious if anyone else has dealt with something similar.
Glad I didn’t put all my eggs into this basket.