Edgerunn3r_2's journey

I had a frustrating experience during a final stage interview with a company I was excited about. I received an email from a recruiter inviting me to a culture discussion with the team, which sounded promising. I dressed up, set up my lighting, and logged into the Zoom link early, only to find out that I was one of forty candidates in a large group interview. It felt like a mass cattle call rather than a personal discussion. The HR director muted everyone and explained that we would be split into breakout rooms of five to discuss a corporate case study while evaluators silently observed us. It was incredibly humiliating to watch a seasoned professional struggle to get a word in while a younger candidate dominated the conversation with buzzwords. I felt like I was in the Hunger Games, competing for a fifty-thousand-dollar coordinator role. Instead of leaving the meeting when I realized what was happening, I stayed for an hour, taking notes on a ridiculous scenario about selling paper clips. It’s disheartening how hiring managers treat candidates like they’re on a reality show, especially when we’re all desperate for jobs. I really should have just clicked 'leave meeting' as soon as I saw the grid.