The recruiter spoke for 15 minutes without a break, one of the longest monologues I have ever seen in an interview. This was a red flag for me from the beginning, but I silently continued listening. I think he was reading the whole speech from somewhere.

Then he asked some basic questions. The funny part was the compensation talk. The recruiter did everything not to share the compensation band with me. This was another red flag because any smart recruiter knows that people with decades of experience in the industry and interviewing for an Engineering Manager position will never tell you a number first. And, of course, I did not tell a number first. He then shared the minimum of the band, which was 30% less than what I make now (for Berlin).

I'm glad they did not consider me for further steps. Grammarly goes into my "default no" bucket after this point.

Standard get-to-know-you questions, salary expectations, etc.