Boutique Recruiting Interview Questions
& Process

The initial screening call was great. Sara, the recruiter, explained the role and company thoroughly. The interview was focused on understanding my experience and background in more detail than what was on my resume. We spoke for about 45 minutes.

So my interview at Boutique Recruiting was kinda weird and not very professional. I got reached out to by an EA, and my call with the owner, Innesa, got moved twice, and we finally talked super late, like 8 PM. The interview started out about the job and my background, but then it got all about my current company's money stuff, which felt random. She straight up asked if we were looking to be bought out. I said okay to an onsite for Thursday, then she asked if I could do Wednesday instead. When I got there, there was this thing on the whiteboard that said "No fake ****" which was kinda unprofessional. The chat started again with questions about my family's company, like about margins and how much work we get. Innesa then mentioned wanting to get into healthcare recruiting and maybe buying a company. I made a joke about it, and then she said I wasn't being straight with her in the first chat when I said we weren't looking to be acquired. It felt like the whole point of the interview got lost and I was just uncomfortable. After that, I was supposed to talk to another leader, but they didn't even know what job I was there for. Then, in the middle of our talk, someone popped in because Innesa needed them for a call to close a deal. This call was more important than my interview and went on for like 30 minutes with me still there. They were talking about clients and candidates, names and everything, and even muted the call to say bad stuff, including swearing, about the candidate. It just made me question how professional, organized, and careful they are with info. Just a heads up for anyone looking at this place.

After an initial call, my next interviewer was really late, like 30 minutes, and was on their phone, not even looking at the screen. They spent maybe 10 minutes asking me stuff that wasn't even related to recruiting. They were super condescending, like they couldn't be bothered to talk to me. Then, when it was obvious it wasn't a fit, instead of just saying it, they asked when I could come in for an interview. Right after, I got an email saying it wasn't a fit. It felt like they didn't have the guts to be direct. Even with my experience and qualifications, I think that was just a weak excuse. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone looking for a real opportunity. It's ironic because their whole company vibe is about personal relationships, but maybe that's not for everyone. I've never felt so embarrassed, it was the worst interview ever.

Boutique Recruiting handled the initial phase, starting with a phone screen before connecting me with the client. The director from Boutique who represented me was great and seemed really enthusiastic. It was a relief getting the job, which speaks to her skills. But things got messy later. I got to the in-person interview with the client and they didn't offer me the job initially. After two weeks, they circled back and extended an offer. I noticed some concerning things and wanted to talk to the Boutique director about it. Instead of hearing me out, she pushed me to take the job and had already told the client I was accepting.