Disappointing Interview Quality: Lack of Professional Courtesy and Tech Depth
Pros: Strong global brand and organized initial coordination.
Cons: One-way video culture, rigid questioning, and lack of technical competency from the panel.
Review:
I recently interviewed for a senior-level position, and the experience was surprisingly sub-par for a company of this stature.
Despite being invited to a video conference, the interviewers kept their cameras off for the duration of the call. It is difficult to feel respected as a candidate or to build professional rapport when you are essentially speaking to a blank screen. It felt one-sided and lacked basic professional courtesy.
Furthermore, the quality of the interview did not match the seniority of the job title. The questions were incredibly basic and the panel seemed to be looking for "word-for-word" or "line-by-line" answers from a script, rather than engaging in a meaningful dialogue about strategy or experience.
Most concerning was the lack of technical depth. It was clear the interviewer had a very limited understanding of the actual tech stack they were hiring for. It is difficult to have confidence in a hiring process when the people evaluating your expertise don't seem to possess a foundational grasp of the domain themselves. Not the level of quality or professionalism I expected from Mastercard.
Advice to Management:
Lead by example: if you ask a candidate to be on video, turn your camera on. Also, ensure interviewers are actually qualified to assess the technical requirements of the roles they are assigned to, rather than just reading from a pre-defined script.