Initial pleasant phone screening by HR asking questions around my experience.
Was asked to come into the office for an interview with HR and the Hiring Manager. The office was in a complete state of disarray as they were moving. It was almost an Occupational Health and Safety Hazard. A video call would have been far more appropriate in this situation.
The interview lasted 30 mins and HR primarily asked me to talk through my CV. The Hiring Manager virtually said nothing and was completely not engaged. I got the impression there was already an internal candidate or something else going on?? The Hiring Manager then finally chose to ask a question about how much discount do I get in my current role!!!
HR got back to me a week later. They said I was not progressing even though I interviewed well because I was not a cultural fit. They said they had chosen another candidate that was a cultural fit. I was pretty shocked in the woke era of 2025 that Ralph Lauren would use the words “cultural fit”. It is not something a progressive company does!!