Roughly a year ago, I interviewed with TravelPerk for their APM program (the program for young professionals with no prior product management experience required). I had a positive experience communicating with the HR manager and generally have a good opinion of TravelPerk as a company. However, I'd like to highlight a few areas where I think there's room for growth. TravelPerk positions itself as a diverse and inclusive workspace (we spent 5-7 minutes in the first stage discussing this topic). However, I was interviewed by men only, and the leadership team consists of four C-level men (information openly available on the website). To be honest, it was a significant red flag for me from the very beginning, but their APM program seemed interesting, so I decided to give TravelPerk a go. In one of the final stages, I was assigned a case study that centered on TravelPerk's business strategy and the future of the entire company. Initially, I questioned its appropriateness since it's not typically expected to ask candidates to analyze the company, they are interviewing with. It was also quite unexpected why they tasked entry-level individuals with responding to CEO-level questions. During the case study interview, the feedback was entirely positive. My interviewer was extremely enthusiastic, frequently using phrases like 'excellent' and 'amazing thought!' However, the feedback I received afterward was almost solely negative and felt oddly subjective, with criticism about 'using a lot of jargon,' supported by a quote I never used. There were also comments about my English, which was surprising considering I had studied in the UK, and the interviewer wasn't a native English speaker himself. Ultimately, the feedback seemed to suggest that I was basically incompetent. My data work was labeled as 'basic,' and the only positive note was called a 'surprisingly clear idea'. It was quite astonishing, especially since I had already passed competency-based interviews with TravelPerk, landed interviews with Spotify and Meta before, and shortly after my experience with TravelPerk, I received another job offer. However, at that time, I simply concluded that perhaps my qualifications didn't meet TravelPerk's expectations (which was also totally fine!) Honestly, the shocking thing about this experience wasn't the negative feedback itself but rather the level of interpersonal skills displayed by high-level managers at TravelPerk. My interviewer was a key product person in the company (and in the APM program as well), wielding significant experience and authority. The manner in which this feedback was delivered to a person who may have just begun their career, was needlessly harsh. In my opinion, It raised questions about the potential impact of such feedback on individuals' careers and highlighted a concerning lack of empathy.
