For the first step, I was contacted by a recruiter. When I expressed uncertainty about their culture, the engineering manager requested to speak with me directly, suggesting they had some interest. I scheduled and completed the phone screen.

Next, I attended an onsite interview with three technical rounds, which seemed to go well. (One interviewer made mistakes in responding to my comments, but I chose not to address them.)

The second onsite involved an HR meeting focused on my understanding of their culture deck. Immediately after, I met with the VP, who presented a completely different perspective on their culture. He seemed to contradict the culture deck's emphasis on fair compensation, using a baseball analogy that suggested employees wouldn't necessarily be paid their worth. Mentioning that I was still interviewing elsewhere in case this opportunity didn't work out appeared to be a misstep, as both HR and the VP brought it up multiple times, despite this contradicting their own culture deck. He also discussed numerous bureaucratic rules and regulations, which again, the culture deck aimed to differentiate them from companies like IBM or Apple. However, he directly stated they were the same.

I initially believed my enthusiasm for working on side projects that do not compete with the business, and my constant search for innovative solutions fostered by such projects, would make this a culturally good fit. Apparently, I was mistaken.

What would one of your colleagues say is your biggest weakness?