I was contacted by a recruiter for a newly posted role and went through the initial discussions.

During the call, I learned that several candidates were already in the final interview stages, even though the posting was only a week old. This mirrored a previous experience I had with the company earlier in the year: strong technical interview performance, but the position was already filled.

The recruiter I spoke with was polite, but the lack of upfront transparency about the real hiring status made the process feel like a formality rather than a genuine opportunity.

Be sure to ask early in the process whether the role is actively being hired for or if there are already candidates in final stages.

“Tell me about a time you made a significant impact on a project.”

I found this surprising for an initial screening, especially since the recruiter already knew I had interviewed for a similar role a few months earlier.