Lame! I have had a couple of ordinary experiences interviewing with startups, and Rivian was one of them. I interviewed a few months back.

I had a good overall experience for the role. The recruiter called me on a weekend and asked if I was free to talk. Then, they scheduled a technical interview two days later.

The technical interview went well, but the interviewer stated that there was one aspect of the job (say, 'xx') that I needed to learn and ramp up on. They concluded by saying that everyone comes in with some expertise and not all of them do.

Then, HR failed to get back to me for over a month, and what followed was hilarious, to say the least.

The senior director started the interview late, then asked, "Do you have 'xx' experience?" I said no, but the technical interviewer mentioned that I didn't have that experience and would have to learn and ramp up soon if I were to be hired.

So, the senior director said, "Ok," and cut short the call within 10 seconds, saying that was all he had for me. He then sent a rejection email soon after.

I wonder if there is any communication between teams. How can they select me for the final round (probably) and reject me saying I lack one aspect of a large skillset!

Do you have [specific] experience?