I was contacted by Thumbtack and agreed to set up a screen. The recruiter impressed me with her deep knowledge of the product as well as awareness of the company vision and culture and was truly the highlight of the whole experience. Ignited by this, I started to look forward to the interview process. I was given an option to come onsite or interview by phone with a couple of people (I'm a local candidate), so I agreed to an onsite given the opportunity for a face to face impression. The office itself is in a dingy part of town, though soon to move to a much nicer downtown location. The doors were locked when I arrived in broad daylight, in a hostile, uninviting fashion. Finally a receptionist unlocked the door and asked me to get in line to sign in. She offered no water or to show the facilities, so I picked up my handwritten guest badge and sat waiting for my pickup, who was unapologetically late. My interview with one of the engineers was interactive and equally positive and covered a lot of ground. Then came a PM. Despite an excellent start with an interactive ice breaker and seemingly a connection, she quickly switched into a dry and grilling mode of a ton of behavioral and resume specific questions. That was it; no case questions, nothing remotely about the product or role I was there to screen for. Discouraging was the lack of enthusiasm towards any of my technical expertise, which left me feeling like I was talking to either a robot or someone quite inept. She left time for a few questions, but struggled with the ability to convey what her own role was or any depth she brought to the team, stating excessively generic and superficial coverage of her area of responsibility that told me little about her contribution. Leaving the interview, I knew it wasn't a fit. I was surprised that someone seemingly so junior was picked to screen for a senior role as any reliable signal. Even if it was a culture test, I question this person's qualification to assess it. Advice -- look to other tech sector companies for examples of screening practices. You are missing out on good talent with existing mediocre. Your recruiting team is your strength; it would only be wise to match that with an equally strong hiring panel.

Very typical process - shared information about myself, they shared information about the role. Asked me questions about the general market for their providers, and what I would bring to the table. It's a unique marketplace they have, so it required lots of explaining, which they did well.