I applied for this position online and also had my friend who works there put in a good word for me. About a week after I applied they got back to me wanting to schedule a phone interview.
In the phone interview I immediately didn't feel super comfortable. At the time I brushed it off but in hindsight it seems like the interviewer had already decided I wasn't qualified and was just going through the motions. She would ask me questions and I would answer but she didn't seem to be interested in what I was saying really? Like she would ask a question about my experience with one aspect of the role and I would reply saying that I had quite a bit of experience in that area and describe it and then she would reply with something that clearly showed she didn't think I was qualified despite my answer.
I'm not a cocky person but I am definitely qualified for the position. Every question she asked I had a good solid answer for, with examples to back it up. She was just not convinced, I guess.
At the end of the interview she basically said she didn't think I was qualified (in so many words) and that they were already likely going to hire someone else, but did I want to apply for a different MUCH worse position with them? I pretty much said I wasn't interested and she said she would let me know if they didn't hire the other candidate and wanted to move forward with me.
That was on a Friday and on the Monday she emailed saying they weren't going to move forward.
Long story short: I felt disrespected and insulted and even if they had invited me for an interview I might have declined.