The entire interview process was bad. The recruitment was handled through an external agency, whose recruiter initially reached out to me about an opportunity. They claimed the company was launching a new project that closely aligned with my expertise and that, if hired, I’d be working alongside the CTO and possibly leading my own team. Given that they were a mid-level startup with limited funding and the research-heavy nature of the project, this seemed plausible.
I had a 40-minute call with the CTO, who mostly asked open-ended questions about the project. He seemed impressed by both my technical acumen and personality and mentioned that I would receive a prompt 24 hours before the interview, on which I’d have to present.
Later, the external recruiter (ER) informed me that the company would fly me in before Christmas for an in-person interview and that their Executive Assistant (EA) would reach out soon. However, until two days before my scheduled flight, no one had contacted me—not even the ER, who seemed just as clueless.
Then, the night before my flight, the EA finally emailed me and put me in touch with their travel agent. Before I even had time to process it, all my travel details were booked, and the next morning, I was on my way. Throughout this entire process, no one provided any concrete details about the nature of the interview, apart from the presentation requirement.
Upon arrival, I checked my email—since I was now within the promised 24-hour window—only to find no sign of the presentation prompt. I had to email the EA myself, after which she finally sent it over. (What if I hadn’t reached out?)
I burned the midnight oil crafting one of the best presentations I’ve ever made. The next morning, I suited up, arrived at the venue, and guess what? The presentation was scheduled for the end of the day—after five consecutive one-hour technical rounds with various team members!
The first interviewer walked in, handed me a whiteboard marker, and asked me to derive the boundary conditions for a hyperparameter in AI optimization techniques. Excuse me—what?! I hadn’t prepared for this at all! Still, I did my best and, with a few hints, managed to answer almost all the questions.
Some interviewers even quizzed me on topics from courses I took nearly a decade ago. How was I supposed to recall all of that with zero preparation?
Finally, we got to the presentation round, and it went amazingly well. How do I know? Because I analyzed the project from angles they hadn’t even considered, and I confidently answered all their follow-up questions—after all, this is my area of expertise. They even recorded the entire presentation on Zoom! (Hold that thought—I’ll explain why this is relevant in a moment.)
Fast forward three weeks. The holiday break is over, work has resumed, yet I still haven’t heard back. I reached out to the ER, who read me a vague, boilerplate email from the CTO stating that I was “great but didn’t meet the threshold” with no specifics. Then, the ER casually mentioned that the company was now re-evaluating the project's ROI because they had no actual customers for this use case. Apparently, they had assumed that hiring one person would be enough, but after my presentation revealed the true complexity and workload involved, they started rethinking the whole endeavor. Eventually, the ER confirmed that the role had been suspended indefinitely.
*PURE SPECULATION: What I Think Happened Behind the Scenes*
When companies want to assess the viability and complexity of a project, they typically hire a consultant—who charges a lot and requires multiple sessions to deliver a comprehensive analysis. Instead, why not just invite a PhD-level expert for an “interview", dangle the promise of leading the project, and watch them lay out everything they know in a single session? The only expense? A round-trip flight and a few meals.
And now—conveniently—the role no longer exists, and the candidate has zero power to push back.
This practice is commonly known as Ghost Recruiting, and it is deeply unethical. Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly common (this is the second time it has happened to me). Companies need to understand that job seekers—especially those on visas—are under tremendous pressure to secure employment. These deceptive charades don’t just waste our time; they take a serious toll on our mental well-being.
THIS HAS TO STOP!
