I haven't been applying for jobs the traditional way since right before the pandemic . I normally work in production and get jobs by word of mouth. I'll work one gig, then someone will give my number to someone else, then they'll call me, ask me a few questions, get hired and so on. But due to an injury and low pay I've been looking elsewhere for work. So I applied for this job online and got an email like two weeks later asking me to answer a bunch (and I mean a BUNCH) of pre screening questions, because they have a lot of applicants and want to “filter out” the ones they don't want to move forward with.
So I spent a good couple of hours thinking and writing the best responses I could, which took awhile with questions like “describe a time when this” “give me an example of that”. I sent my answers back and a week later they scheduled a zoom interview. During the interview the person asked very general questions like “what qualities do you think a good manager should have” and what's the best job you've worked”. I gave well thought out answers and didn't ramble but they didn't seem very into it. Honestly their whole vibe was off and they didn't seem excited or motivated but rather annoyed. I don't want to assume but it seemed like from the minute they saw me they didn't want to take me serious.
They only asked me five questions then gave me the “well do you have any questions for me?” after about ten minutes. They didn't even tell me about the job, I had to ask about it. A few hours later I get an email from the recruiter saying “the team wanted to continue their search but we thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and meet with us. We're always hiring so if you see something feel free to reach out.”
And now I'm just really confused and upset for spending so much time and not being taken seriously. Sorry if this turned into a vent, I didn't know where else to post this. I guess my question is, is this kind of thing normal? Also they kept spelling my name wrong in every email sent.