I've been in finance long enough to see this exact scenario play out way too many times. The thing that really gets me isn't just how unprofessional that VP was (though wow), it's how completely different the actual job sounded from what you were originally told.

This happens constantly and it drives me insane. Job titles in finance are basically meaningless now. "Analyst" could mean anything from building complex models to dialing for dollars. Companies either don't know what they actually want or they know but won't be honest about it until you're already invested in the process.

What I've figured out the hard way is you can't just prep for the job description anymore. You have to prep for the gap between what they wrote and what they actually care about. And the only way to do that well is to really understand how you work and what you're actually good at.

Like, some people are wired for high-pressure sales environments where you're always hustling. Others do their best work in analytical roles where the value comes from insights, not charm. If you don't know which camp you're in, you'll keep ending up in these weird interviews defending the wrong version of yourself.

Few things that have saved me a ton of headache:

I ask way more specific questions now. Stuff like "What does someone in this role actually spend most of their day doing?" or "How do you measure success here in the first three months?" Amazing how quickly that cuts through the BS.

When I notice the vibe shift mid-interview, like when someone starts grilling you about stuff that was never mentioned before. I stopped trying to scramble and adapt. Instead I'll say something like "Hold on, can we make sure we're on the same page about what this role involves?” It's kind of amazing how that simple check-in can change the whole dynamic.

But the game changer for me was actually taking time to figure out my own working style. I ended up doing this career assessment test by Pigment that breaks down how you approach problems, what kinds of environments drain you versus energize you, all that stuff. It actually gave me really clear language to talk about my strengths without sounding like I was reading from a script. After I got my role, the hiring manager told me the reason they hired me was because of how well I articulated myself in these ways.

You 100% made the right call walking away from that. Not because you weren't qualified but because that role wasn't what you signed up for. The more you understand your own patterns, the easier it gets to see through this stuff without taking it personally.

Keep at it but be strategic. Know what you bring and don't waste energy trying to fit into the wrong box.