I received an email from a Technical Recruiter asking for a phone screen after a referral from a university networking event. The referral came from a highly placed employee at Wayfair. The call was scheduled for 2 PM a week later. The nature of the interview was not disclosed, even after I specifically asked about it (which is understandable). At 1:45 PM on the scheduled interview date, 15 minutes prior to the scheduled phone call, the Recruiter emailed me, stating, "I just noticed your graduation date is five months from now, and our requirement is immediate; hence, no need for conducting this interview. All the best for your job search." I made sure to inform the recruiter of my ability to start immediately, given that I would only have one online coursework in those five months. I received a reply from him after about two hours, and we scheduled an interview for the next day at 11:30 AM.

The recruiter started by explaining that Wayfair Labs is a 3-month program and asked if it satisfied course credit requirements. Knowing it was a 3-month program, they further inquired if I was still interested.

They told me a few things about Wayfair Labs positions and how they function.

They asked a basic question about my internship project, but interrupted my answer.

They asked about my conversation with a Wayfair employee at the networking event (which was, by the way, very interesting).

They asked if I had any questions. However, the recruiter ended the call quickly after hurriedly answering my second question, which was "What is expected from an ideal candidate?" They assured me they would get back to me within two working days.