I was contacted by the staffing management company that is owned by iCode. The recruiter called me five times in a row, and I told them via email that I would call them back when I was available. They proceeded to call me two more times shortly after my email and I was finally able to answer.
My first interview went well. I interviewed with the Marketing Director and she made me feel very comfortable and welcomed. She did a really great job at explaining the history and purpose of the company and it connected to what I read while preparing for this interview. Despite not feeling overwhelmingly confident that this interview did well, I was invited for a second interview after being short-listed.
You can imagine how enthused I was to hear this and I was excited. I researched as much as I possibly could about iCode and its CEO, since that's who I was meeting with in my second round. I compared and contrasted my experience to what was expected of the role and felt 10x more confident.
I didn't get to showcase any of this. I believe I was invited for a second interview so the CEO could have a punching bag. I am a recent graduate who worked several jobs while in college. This displeased Abid. He questioned what industry I really wanted to be in, and said my job history was inconsistent. Duh. Because I'm a recent graduate.
He then questioned my work ethic, refused to believe I had any relevant experience despite the fact that my three most recent positions were in the marketing field, and berated me for not currently working in marketing. I was laid off from my previous marketing position due to COVID and accepted the first job I could get my hands on. Apparently that's a bad thing to Abid.
I left feeling frustrated. I took time out of my day and time off from work to come to this interview, only to be spoken down to by a man who runs a business. Who does that to a young woman who is just trying to get her foot back into a career that she's wanting to grow in?
I feel bad for anyone who has to work under him, as he is not someone who I would appreciate working under. So I guess this is a good thing that he showed his true colors because I would've accepted the position if it were offered otherwise because I was excited to learn from the Marketing Director.