Decision maker hires only for vibes, not motivation, skills or potential. She was friendly, but seemed uninterested right from the start and was rushing through the conversation, which made me nervous. No follow up questions. No curiosity. She didn't ask about my intent to apply for the role, or why I want to work for the company, or about any of my working experiences. Only a few superficial questions. I had the feeling she was looking for a very specific, narrow archetype that I didn't fit. After spending hours researching the company and auditing their e-commerce platform, which she was also not interested in, I feel like my time was wasted.
When organizations hire through this lens, they are not introducing new perspectives. Gatekeepers tend to select candidates with similar backgrounds, communication styles, "right looks", and worldviews, optimizing for predictability and personal convenience rather than for quality or product evolution.
Diversity doesn't stop at race or gender.