The initial screening interview was typical with a 1:1 phone call set up with the hiring manager. The hiring manager was polite at first and presented some information on his vision which was inspiring. After going through some of the typical questions, he asked why I wanted to leave my current position. My response was the same two times in that I was not actively trying to leave my current job, and the position sounded like a good opportunity that was worth looking into because it would play on some of my strengths. He followed up by continuing to ask why I wanted to leave my position as if he wanted me to say that “I hate my current job.” After the 3rd time asking, the discussion moved on to other larger issues but got hung up on similar things with stating other things like “don’t waste my time if you’re not serious about the position and able to travel 50% of the time”
After a few days I received a follow up email stating that they wanted me to come in for a face to face panel interview and presentation. They also informed me that the hiring manager didn’t like my response as to why I want to leave my job, so I should be prepared to answer the questions again. I have never been in an interview where the hiring manger seemed to be solely focused on one topic to the point of being rude and abrasive about. As a result, I politely bowed out of the interview process stating that I didn’t want to waste his time because my answers were not going to change.
