Several months prior, I was contacted about a different position involving their tool implementation, but I was not interested. Then, I received a LinkedIn message about this role, which seemed like a much better fit. Given Apptio's recent positive press, I provided the recruiter with several times we could chat and scheduled something for later that week.

The call went well, and the recruiter asked for my updated resume, which I provided the next day as I wasn't actively searching. He presented it to the hiring manager, who agreed to an hour-long phone screen a week later. This call went extremely well, lasting nearly an hour and a half. I was then asked for my availability for a 4-hour on-site interview.

They put me through the "car wash," involving everyone on the team and key leaders from adjacent teams. The team had experienced significant turnover recently, suggesting an exacting, if not difficult, work environment. After what felt like the best interviews of my professional life, I met again with the hiring manager to discuss next steps. At this point, we were nearly half an hour past schedule, but as I had taken the day off from work, this did not negatively impact my personal schedule.

Unfortunately, this is where they went off track. They began discussing the 5-hour homework assignment and presentation they require of all candidates. After I pushed back on the time investment – considering I was being recruited and am content in my current role – their only response was, "We've always done it this way." They've also always had a lot of turnover, so perhaps a change in approach might behoove them.

Apparently, this type of constructive criticism was not what they were seeking for the position. They performed a complete 180, from wanting to bring me back for further interviews to not even reaching out to indicate they were moving in a different direction. Overall, there's an undue sense of importance placed on what they've built and their future trajectory, not to mention a complete lack of consideration for passive candidates who could potentially help them move the needle.

The QA lead asked about SQL, even though the hiring manager explicitly indicated this was not a job requirement.