I had this screening call yesterday for a senior automation role and it was a complete train wreck from the start. The lady on the other end was nice enough but she clearly had no idea what the words coming out of her mouth actually meant. She spent ten minutes talking about their cutting edge culture and how they value innovation before I finally cut her off to ask about their actual tech stack and deployment pipeline. I kid you not she looked at her notes and asked if I had experience with "BIM coding in Java script" for mechanical stress simulations.
I tried to explain that those are two entirely different domains but she just kept pushing back because her checklist said those keywords needed to be there. It is like trying to explain to a toddler why you cant use a hammer to fix a software bug. I decided to flip the script and started asking her about their internal system architecture and how they handle data integrity during high load periods. She went silent for a good five seconds before stammering something about how the IT department handles the "computers part" while she handles the people.
The irony is that these people are the gatekeepers for positions they dont understand even at a surface level. We spend years refining our logic and building systems that actually work while the hiring process is managed by someone who thinks a database is just a fancy excel sheet. I eventually told her that if she could explain the difference between a load balancer and a treadmill I would finish the interview but she just got offended. I guess the truth hurts when you are paid to find experts but cant define what an expert actually does in your own firm.
The whole thing was a massive waste of energy and time. I am pretty sure she flagged my profile as "difficult" because I asked for technical specifications instead of vibing with her corporate energy. Honestly if your company cannot put a lead engineer on the first call then you are basically admitting that your technical standards are just a suggestion. I went back to my cad model and realized that even a broken assembly has more internal logic than that entire HR department. I need a drink and a new job board that isnt populated by people who think Python is just a snake.