There are a few things that stood out that created not the best candidate experience.
- The 1st interviewer said I was a good candidate after interview one but advised me not to go ahead because she thought I wasn't an entry-level candidate even though my resume VERY clearly demonstrated this.
- I had to restate the points in my resume until she decided to move me ahead in the process. (I find this extremely weird.)
- Rejected after interviews and case without any feedback. I was sent some standard email rejection template. Personally, I would have at least expected a call with the result, considering the time investment in the process from my side. As most employers do when you are quite ahead in the process.
- They rejected me for some vague reason but then went ahead and decided to create a job post for a mid-level candidate only a few days after. I personally find it quite odd that they seemed to be indecisive about who they wanted to hire in the first place. It would have been better to decide this first rather than wasting candidates' time preparing for interviews and the case.
In conclusion, I think the team, in general, were nice people, acted in a professional way and seemed like people who would be nice to work with. However, the same cannot be said about the recruitment process. Although I didn’t receive the offer (which is normal because rejection is just part of the job process), it is this recruitment process which left quite a negative impression.
Furthermore, the compensation offered for the role (although the average for Dublin) is quite low.
Based on the type of questions asked, type/difficulty of interview and number of candidates applied versus number of candidates hired, it is clear that this firm is hiring at the top of the market. This means the role competes against associate/analyst positions at other VC funds in Dublin, the big tech companies and consulting firms like McKinsey (the big 4 pay significantly less but are not top of the market). All of the above pay between 40-60% higher for a very similar type of role and similar experience level. (I know this because I have interviewed at all of the above in the last 18 months).