Shorten this to 30 words: The interview experience with the snr recruiter was really disappointing. The conversation felt scripted and unwelcoming, with little genuine interest in my background or what I had to say. Every answer seemed to circle back to “we’re looking for overachievers,” without providing much real insight into the role or company. When I asked a simple question about the interview process (number of stages, what to expect), she was reluctant to share anything unless I made it past that round - very odd, not very candidate-friendly and immediately set off red flags about transparency. It’s not like I was asking what questions are going to be asked or what even to be prepared for. The tone throughout was unfriendly and, at times, inappropriate. I mentioned my current situation and that my previous company had shut down, hence, I’d been made redundant. The recruiter’s response was: “Did you leave because you knew it was shutting down?” Incredibly tone-deaf, inappropriate, and unprofessional. I am in no way ever expecting any sympathy or empathy but a decent humane response would be nice. Overall, it left a very negative impression. If this is the recruiter attitude at Databricks, I dread to imagine the culture inside. No animosity towards the company itself, I think the product is fantastic but a truly awful (probably the WORST) human encounter I have ever had.

I first connected with a recruiter who informed they liked me and were going to move forward with booking the second interview by the end of the screening call. The documentation and prep materials they share with you are quite robust and the first round interview was a lot of skills based get to know you questions.