Got a cold LinkedIn message from Abhinav Sharma at Anaplan. Did not know the company well. Decided to take the call anyway. That one call changed my view completely. He explained Anaplan as a B2B SaaS platform in plain terms. No big or buzz words. Just clear, honest context about what Anaplan do and why they do. As PM you instantly know when someone genuinely understands their product and business Abhinav clearly did. He really stood out can be counted amongst a handful of technology recruiter who knows what they are hiring, how it makes to the team and to the larger organisation. In the first round the panel Senior Product Manager mentioned details were exactly the same as mentioned by Abhinav with little more detail. Abhinav spent 27-30 minutes and was one of the recruiter screening I underwent last 7 years. Not a just scratched surface He went deep into actual work I had done. How I made decisions backed by data. How I handled conflicts between stakeholders. How I kept all parties aligned through the entire product journey. How I engaged with leadership, engineering, business and customers at the same time without losing focus. Every question had a reason behind it. Nothing felt random. I could tell the being interviewer in current company Abhinav knows how a strong PM looks like and was genuinely testing for it but in very conventional style which requires lot of experience and investment of time & effort Done with first round and second round panel interviews which was very through and detailed, met very nice people in Anaplan If the first recruiter round sets the tone for how Anaplan evaluates talent then this is a company that takes product seriously. All thanks to Abhinav for bringing this such a great opportunity to me, interview is still in progress.

I recently went through a multi-stage interview process that included five conversations. The initial interviews felt great conversational, engaging, and mutually insightful. I appreciated the opportunity to learn about the team and the challenges they were working to solve. However, as the process progressed, the experience shifted. One of the final interviewers arrived 10 minutes late, and the conversation felt rushed. I was also asked to prepare and deliver a case study something not originally planned due to indecision between me and another finalist. The case study was directly tied to the core problem this role would address, requiring substantial time, thought, and preparation. Despite the effort and strategic insight I brought to the presentation, the panel felt rushed, and I left with the impression that my work wasn’t fully acknowledged or appreciated. Even after the additional presentation, the team remained undecided. Throughout the process, I expressed a strong interest in the role and the company. I was transparent about having another offer but made it clear that this position was my top choice. In the end, I accepted the other offer because that team demonstrated clear alignment, valued my time and contributions, and made me feel genuinely wanted. It’s clear that we’re in an employer’s market right now, but that doesn’t mean we should lose sight of humanity and respect in the interview process. Candidates are evaluating companies just as much as companies are evaluating candidates. Interviews should be a two-way conversation built on transparency, preparation, and mutual respect. I look forward to the day the market shifts and candidates regain more leverage. Until then, let’s raise the bar and treat every interaction as an opportunity to build trust regardless of who holds the upper hand. While the overall interview process had its challenges, I have to highlight one bright spot working with my recruiter was one of the best parts of the experience. They were consistently communicative, encouraging, and brought a positive attitude every step of the way. It made a real difference