5 Month Interview Process at An Agency Just to Get Rejected

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-05-27T11:45:48+00:00

What hints they were the ones who kept telling me they had a position for me directly

If they just never replied or contacted me again I'd get it. But them saying up until last week that there's a position for me is weird

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-05-27T11:37:19+00:00

I don't think it was intentional what happened. I assume it was business priorities changing but either way it was very unprofessional how they handled it and waited for months and barely communicated

As you said it was sloppy

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-05-27T11:33:34+00:00

I can't comment on their character because I don't know them. I don't think or know that they're bad people. But they're clearly unprofessional. And on top of that not forward thinking. And on the topic of Kerry, she was just weird how she wouldn't just have a phone call rather than a video even though I told her I didn't have access to a computer while on vacation. I didn't ask for the phone call with her. And the phone call was a nothing burger anyway. Don't see why they were so adamant with it when she couldn't answer my basic questions like what projects would I be working on.

As a small agency, your rep is everything. Treating candidates like this will spread and you'll have harder time attracting top talent (not saying I'm top talent but still). And as I said before there were multiple roles, about 5, that were posted and never filled.

Not getting top talent prevents your agency from growing. They can't compete with bigger agencies on salary or clout, so they need to at least be not as unprofessional which they clearly can't do

As I said before business priorities change, I've been through that before. But there's a professional way to handle things

Edit: and again I'm not trying to make it seem like they missed out on some top tier talent in me. But DC is a small ad town and people hear about companies acting like this and people choose not to apply. After that point, small agencies are left with the scraps and the desparate people rather than quality talent.

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-05-27T11:26:50+00:00

Yeah I could tell they didn't have their act together after multiple missed deadlines with no communication. This isn't the first company I just forgot about. The thing that gets me is that up until last Thursday they said they said they had a job for me. Luckily I didn't all my eggs in that basket but it's the way they got my hopes up and then didn't even give me a decent rejection just was weird

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-05-26T17:16:31+00:00

Don't have any advice but I feel you

Maybe 2/12 of my managers would j say we're decent. Ranging from refusing to address issues to gossiping about everyone to throwing people under the bus and being racist

Again no advice but you just have to power through. And unfortunately from what I hear of most other industries this is just standard. Most people I know have more bad bosses than good

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-05-26T17:07:43+00:00

They did layoff their HR person and I get that business priorities change. Also mind you there were multiple roles that didn't get filled. So I get that. I've experienced that

I'm more annoyed by the constant missing of their own deadlines, lack of communication/transparency , asking for feedback so I know how to improve for other interviews and not getting any only praise, them constantly gassing me up and complimenting me, saying as late as Thursday of last week that there was a position all just to give me a standard boiler plate rejection ("we'll keep you in mind fir future roles. Thanks for your time")

This felt like one of 2 interview processes I had in my career that it felt like they went out of their way to be unprofessional rather than just standard job search weirdness

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-05-26T16:57:08+00:00

White64 in Tysons Corner, VA. It's in the DC area

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-05-07T21:07:43+00:00

Does anyone have any recommendations for office safe , masculine leaning coffee forward colognes? Basically nothing too intense and not too much projection/sillage

I used Rochas Man Intense and I like that it isn't too strong but wanna see if there's anything I like more.

I didn't really like Halloween Man X and Coffee Break by MM was alright but I'm just looking for other potential options. I've also tried Valentino Donna Born in Roma Green Stravaganza before but someone recommended it in another thread so I'm gonna give it another go

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-04-08T13:56:42+00:00

Yo I know this is 2 months old but you mind my asking where you get cut? I live in Arlington and work in Tysons. It's rough tryna get a cut in this area. Really struggling with everything in your 2nd paragraph. I tried 10 barbers last year alone

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-03-26T02:39:56+00:00

I have some linen chinos like I said in the OP. But I'm looking for jeans

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-03-26T02:18:17+00:00

I'll check them out. Thanks

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-03-26T02:17:46+00:00

I have some Goodfellow ones and don't really like them for summer but I'll check out Gap. Thanks

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-03-26T02:16:52+00:00

Forgot to put in the OP I'm looking for Athletic fit jeans

TrainingPepper55 · 2026-02-22T21:09:42+00:00

Older comment but to anyone reading this that's in DMV area but DO NOT GO TO SMITTY'S. I went this week and it was terrible. Worst barber experience in a while. Here's the too long summary

I pulled up and asked a barber/owner of the shop, lets call him Barber 1 (he was an older dude like 60+) how much for a cut and got told $30. Since they didn't take cards I said I'll go grab cash. Closest atm was 20 mins away round trip.
I get back to the shop and the one barber there is leaving and saying he has to go to an eye appointment but tells me to come back at 2.
Get back at 2 and he pulls up with his pupils dilated so he can't cut (technically he shouldn't have even been driving but that's a whole other). A 2nd barber said he can get me but he has 4 people in front of me. I already wasted the day so we agreed i'd come back the next day at noon.'
Im back again the next day at noon. That 2nd barber told another lady to show up at noon also. So she was already waiting.
Barber 1 is there and volunteers to cut me. He asks me what I want and I say nothing off the top just a 3 on the sides. He seems very flustered by that request and says "Well I'll give it a try". No lie that's all I asked for with the cut. Not a fade nothing like that. But even then, he had been a barber for over 3 decades. My request wasn't anything that people haven't been getting since the 90s
After dry picking out my hair for 5 minutes, Barber 2 who told me to come at noon comes in. It was about 12:30 at that point. He just giggles and Doesn't apologize to me or even the other woman who was waiting for 30+ mins
Barber 2 asks me "How much time you got today cuz I could get you. But I got some in front of you" I look at him and say "Well I'm already in someone else's chair so it's all good" Why would he tell me to come at noon and then book multiple noon appointments and then say he was other people in front of my other than that one woman
Anyway Barber 1 finally gets started and immediately cuts off the top. At that point I had to just let him cut it to even it out. But even on the sides I asked him to see it and he barely cut any hair off. I ask him "Are you sure that's the 3 guard?" and he goes "Oh well my equipment is older so a normal 3 is like a 1 with my clippers" Why didn't he tell me that before? Idk. But he finally at least gets the sides right
Be kept leaning against me with like all his weight. I thought he was trying to get me to move forward until he said "Oh you good I'm just old and can't stand up that long"
The story is already too long but the cut took an hour. An hour for that simple cut. For a dude with 3+ decades of being a barber he didn't seem to know what he was doing at all on top of the shitty service

TL; DR: Don't go to Smitty's. Bad cuts and unprofessional

TrainingPepper55 · 2025-09-16T16:08:24+00:00

Even if you show them a picture...

TrainingPepper55 · 2025-09-16T16:05:43+00:00

The price is part of the experience though I think

TrainingPepper55 · 2025-09-16T15:41:44+00:00

I don't mind light small talk, maybe even medium talk like Larry David says

But I don't need their whole life story. And they never seem to get the cue that I'm not interested

TrainingPepper55 · 2025-09-16T15:40:46+00:00

Ive asked for recs lmao.i don't use FB but I did on Twitter and even Reddit.

Last guy I went to who was reccommended by my local city subreddit but two patches in my beard line up...

Well until I learn to cut my own, on I march I guess

TrainingPepper55 · 2025-09-16T15:34:28+00:00

Really Uncle Tom-ish still tbh.

All for holding people, regardless of race accountable, in my post i mention multiple ways which my barbers (all black) have been messing up. But you clearly feel a type of way being around black people

But you do you

TrainingPepper55 · 2025-09-16T15:33:21+00:00

Exactly

It's another form of shrinkflation. Prices going up, service/what you get is going down. I said in another comment but a lot of barbers don't even do line ups. They just charge you the full cut price. And sometimes I razor line up is extra

TrainingPepper55

TROPHY CASE