Unprofessional from beginning to end.
First, the CEO sent me an invitation to conduct an interview instructing me to book a call within the next few days. I take a look at his online calendar and there was no availability for almost two weeks! I reach out to him to see if this is an error and he informs me that everything is correct. So that was the first red flag.
Because this company is posting the same job under different cities on LinkedIn, they are likely employing the carpet bombing approach to recruiting. I didn't fall out of a delivery truck yesterday. This is pretty common.
It's plausible they are interviewing nearly everyone with little process in place for qualifying candidates. So if you get an interview request, just know you are likely one of a gazillion. It's an extremely amateurish strategy. And how do I know?
Well, after my interview with the CEO, he scheduled a second call for ONE WEEK LATER. Yes that's right...an entire week in between interviews. So there's no rush. It's a way to string people along while they continue to talk to the rest of the world simultaneously.
Five days later (and two days before my scheduled 2nd call), and after investing several hours of researching the company, the industry, and markets served (and preparing additional questions), the CEO sent me a cancellation notice telling me that he's found a couple of other candidates who appear to be a better fit.
He told me he wants to "respect my time" even though he did the very opposite. This is a warning to others out there that this bush league approach to the interviewing process is extremely common with startups. It's unethical and gives you a very clear window into a potential toxic leadership style and culture. You've been forewarned.
