My interview experience at Prisma Photonics for a Junior Data Engineer position was deeply disappointing. Despite being upfront about my lack of experience in their specific field during our phone conversation, I was invited for an in-person interview with the Data Engineering Manager and Cloud Architect.
While the initial greeting was fine, the Cloud Architect's behavior during the interview was remarkably condescending and arrogant. When I presented example data, he made dismissive comments about the sample size, seemingly attempting to mock my inexperience. The discussion of my master's research was similarly handled with disdain, despite them knowing my background beforehand.
Notably, when asked technical questions before the whiteboard exercise, I provided correct and professional answers most of the time. The Cloud Architect's response to this was telling - he merely gave a slight nod without a word, seemingly unwilling to acknowledge my competence in these areas.
The most unprofessional moment came during the technical question on the whiteboard. Not only was the question poorly explained, with a clear disconnect in terminology and communication, but I noticed the Cloud Architect smirking behind my back while I was trying to understand and solve the problem on the whiteboard. This kind of unprofessional behavior and subtle mockery is completely unacceptable in any workplace setting.
This interview was a waste of time for all parties involved. The company should have either declined my application based on my background or conducted the interview professionally. I would strongly caution any candidates, especially those from different technical backgrounds, about interviewing with this company. The level of unprofessionalism, condescension, and behind-the-back mockery displayed was unacceptable in any professional setting.