I applied online and spoke with the recruiter about my resume and the position. We then set up an initial behavioral interview with the hiring manager.

The behavioral interview started standard, covering the company, team, and role. The hiring manager asked four questions (I did not sign an NDA):

1. What are you looking for in your next role, manager, and company?
2. What was something you recently broke?
3. Tell me about a time you had to communicate, and what was both good and bad about that communication.
4. Tell me about a technical challenge you faced.

I spent the last 5-10 minutes asking questions.

Almost verbatim, the hiring manager followed this pattern for each question:

HM: "Are you ready for the next question?"

ME: My answer...

HM: "Thanks for sharing that with me, I appreciate that."

HM: "Does that sound right?"

ME: "Yes/No/Add some follow-up details."

This repeated for each question.

Overall, the interviewer was respectful and attentive, but if anything, a bit disinterested. The structure of the interview was fine, but there was virtually no back-and-forth or follow-up questions. It felt very contrived and robotic, as if an AI or a questionnaire could have been substituted.

I received timely feedback in the next couple of days and was rejected. The recruiter provided feedback (which I appreciated) that I "did not go into depth" with some or all of my answers. Maybe my answers weren't great; that's certainly possible. But personally, I think good interviewers should help the interviewee fill in gaps with at least some level of follow-up questions.

1. What are you looking for in your next role, manager, and company?

2. What was something you recently broke?

3. Tell me about a time you had to communicate, and what was both good and bad about that communication.

4. Tell me about a technical challenge you faced.