The interview started on a positive note, but the tone shifted when the recruiter mentioned that several people from a previous employer of mine had also applied. They stated that none of those candidates “owned” the processes relevant to this role, which immediately reframed the conversation. From that point forward, the interview felt less like an evaluation of my experience and more like I needed to justify my presence at that former company. I was questioned intensely about responsibilities I directly owned, yet it seemed as though my answers were met with skepticism. The overall impression was that my background was being judged based on assumptions about my previous employer rather than my actual contributions. It left me feeling as though the decision had been made before the conversation even began.