The interview process began with a long questionnaire that essentially wanted to see how you would categorize yourself over a series of several questions, in addition to the uploading of your resume. After that, I received an email requesting a phone/zoom screen interview. While nice and easy to interview with, the gentleman conducting the screen spoke more about himself, his children, his divorce, his move to the area, etc., than he did about the role or my background. I found it to be a bit of a red flag but didn't want to write the opportunity off at that point. The next step was an in-person interview with the firm's COO and another attorney in the firm, or so I thought.
I was applying from this role out-of-state but made the trip to Albany for an in-person interview. After waiting for about ten (10) minutes, I contemplated leaving. I told myself that if it got to be fifteen (15) minutes, I would walk out. Well, the COO finally entered the room with a minute to spare and conducted an extremely informal interview, during which she told me that my resume "sucks" and I need to re-do it. Sure, but we had just met, and she lacked the kind of tact and polish I would expect for a COO at a law firm trying to take itself this seriously. Additionally, the other attorney I was supposed to interview with was not in the office, so the COO left for about ten (10) more minutes to find one of the owners.
Interviewing with the owner was the most enjoyable part of the process. I found him to be knowledgeable, interesting, polite, and respectful. After this interview, which overall felt very disorganized and unprofessional, I was asked to have a zoom interview with the attorney who was supposed to be at my in-person interview, but wasn't. That zoom interview went well, but I did have to wait over five (5) minutes for that person to come online, and then they openly admitted that they did not know why we were having the meeting/interview or what they were supposed to ask me.
This was easily the third or fourth red flag from this firm. However, we seemed to connect well and I felt confident that I would have an offer by the end of the week at the latest. When a week had passed since my final interview with the attorney and I had not heard from anyone in the firm, I reached out via email to the individual that had been coordinating all of the interviews, thanked them for their time and respectfully asked to be considered for any opportunities in their network. This email did not get a response.
Several days later, I got an email from someone in the firm asking if I could take a phone call from the COO, at which point I was offered the job at a salary below what I said I would need in order to leave my current role. I said I would need to think about it as I was in the midst of a multi-state move but that I would let them know by Monday. As anyone who has moved before knows, things can slip your mind when other emergencies become a priority. I knew I needed to respectfully and timely decline the offer with this firm, but I completely lost track of the day and didn't reach out on Monday.
On Tuesday I received an email from the COO (in which my name was misspelled) that was relatively polite and professional, and I responded apologetically and saying that I understood that they needed to pursue other candidates and that I didn't intentionally not reach out to them, apologized again and thanked her for her time. Her email back was one of the rudest and most unprofessional emails I have ever received in my life. Her response was, verbatim, "No problem. I just needed a courtesy call or email to let me know. Typically, that is standard."
The audacity of this woman, to try and tell me what is standard in an interview process, after misspelling my name in her email to me, being rude and disorganized during an in-person meeting I drove several hours to be at, and ignoring my email asking for follow up, is just absolutely beyond anything that could ever be considered "standard". The COO lacks polish and tact and it is evident in the way she behaves and speaks to those around her that she would have made working at the firm uncomfortable. I wish the firm and the owners nothing but the best.