The phone interview was EXCELLENT!!!! I was invited for a 2nd interview. I spent hours researching and preparing myself for the interview. I showed up about 10 mins early, well dressed ready to impress. I was told my interviewer was running late and would be ready for me shortly. A few moments later a young lady came to get me from the lobby, stating she was charged with the task of interviewing me because the original person who was in charged on interviewing me was still preoccupied. In my interview invite it stated I would be meeting with two department heads. One of them never came out to meet me or say hello. The other came to the door where I was being "interviewed", but did not bother to introduce himself or greet me in any way.
The interviewer was sweet and I guess did her best for someone who was just put on the spot. She struggled to review my resume as she talked to me (since she had ZERO background information on me), she asked me a couple superficial questions which would not have been in anyway helpful for selecting a candidate. When she finally gave me an opportunity ask questions, she was unable to really answer them. I mentioned the words teleworking and autonomy, she had no idea what either of these words meant. I didn't ask the rest of my questions because I didn't see how she'd be able to answer questions about the company's potential growth and risks. Less than an hour after leaving the building, I received a notice that I was not selected for the position. When asked why, I was told it's because I didn't meet one specific requirement they were looking for. 1. That requirement is not even listed on the job posting. 2. They knew I didn't have it from my 1st interview. My take is they never intended on hiring me, but decided to waste my time anyway. Or perhaps as soon as they saw what I looked like, they decided I'm not what they wanted. I may never know.
I was HIGHLY disappointed and felt disrespected during my brief encounter with the company. For a small, new start up I had higher expectations. Had I been selected for the position, I would've turned it down, so no love lost. I'm not saying to stay away from this company as a potential employer because maybe this was an isolated situation, but hopefully after reading this they'll work on being more professional and more respectful towards their candidates.