I was sent a Calendly to talk to the recruiter. She had no availability for over three weeks, so I emailed asking if she had anything sooner. Rather than replying, she sent a calendar invite for two days later at a certain time without asking. I was appreciative she found some time, but thought it was weird she didn't ask if I was free then.

The interview was conducted over Zoom. This could have just been a phone call since her camera was off.

She gave a high-level description of the company and role. But then started diving into "expectations." She mentioned that while this may be a work-from-home position, they expect work to be done. She stated that if I wanted to slack off all day, this was not the company for me, as they are paying people to work. I found that incredibly weird and quite obvious, as that's how jobs and careers function. I'm sure she had a point behind it, but I thought it was off-putting.

She then asked the question, "Describe a challenge you overcame in your last job." I started to answer at a high level, specifically addressing a manager/product-related challenge. She cut me off halfway and said it was a great story but not what she asked. I asked her to clarify the question, and she said, "Look, I know you're nervous, but I think you're doing great. I'm looking for two things: Are you a good fit for Gusto? Box checked, I think you're great. What level should you be as an engineer?"

I didn't really know how to respond, but I said, "So you're looking for a technical answer specifically?" I began to answer the technical version of this question. She cut me off again and said, "I think you're a Level 2."

I told her that I am really only interested in senior positions since I have been working at that level's equivalent for some time. She told me, "Okay, we'll let's see how you do in the interview process, and we can decide after."

Finally, she began explaining the technical process (which was the same as every other company) and asked if I had any questions. I asked what team specifically I was interviewing for and if she could give me a high-level breakdown of how product teams are organized. She then recommended that I don't ask any "filler questions" and that I could find that information online.

I was beyond shocked by this recruiter. While I'm sure she has to speak with tons of applicants, that call killed my desire to work at Gusto.

When the coordinator (a different person) sent a link to schedule the technical interview, I let her know that I was no longer interested but that I would love to give some feedback on how Gusto can improve its recruiting process. She simply forwarded me back to the recruiter.

Tell me about a technical challenge you've overcome.