The recruiter who initially contacted me was courteous, communicative, and genuinely enthusiastic about my application. I appreciated their professionalism and the prompt scheduling of the interview. My interview with the hiring manager’s manager wasn’t the best. While the majority of the questions aligned closely with the position, a few stood out as inappropriate and irrelevant. I was asked how I was finding my job search, a question that I felt was personal and unrelated to the role. Additionally, I was questioned on whether I was reading from notes during the interview, which I was not. My responses were delivered far more quickly and fluidly than would have been possible if I were referencing notes. Despite responding respectfully and articulating my experience and enthusiasm for the role clearly, the tone and nature of the questions gave me the impression that the interviewer was trying to ‘catch me out’ rather than genuinely trying to connect and understand my experience. The interaction felt more like an interrogation than a conversation, and I left the interview with the impression that my candidacy would not be advanced. This was confirmed a day later by the recruiter. The interview was revealing. Based on the interaction, I would have had reservations about working under this person’s leadership style, which came across as distrusting and potentially micromanaging. Overall, while the initial outreach was positive, the interview itself did not reflect the level of professionalism I had hoped for.