I have never experienced such unprofessionalism in my 10-year career as a software engineer.
After I provided the recruiter with my availability, she simply disappeared without confirming any specific time slot. Then, several days later, she suddenly emailed me out of the blue, saying she was waiting for me and asking where I was. I had to explain that no meeting had ever been scheduled or confirmed. Coincidentally, I was available at that moment and agreed to have an introductory call right away.
When I joined the call using the link she provided, the conversation started on a very strange note. She immediately began criticizing my camera angle and insisted that she wanted direct eye contact. I was a bit surprised by such an aggressive start but calmly explained that this is simply how my home workstation is set up—I use an external monitor in front of me, and my MacBook with a built-in camera sits to the right, which results in the camera capturing me from that angle.
Instead of accepting my explanation, she began arguing and yelling at me, saying that this was unacceptable and that I must sit directly in front of the camera and maintain eye contact.
I was completely shocked by her aggressive behavior and lack of professionalism. I suggested that if eye contact is such a critical requirement, they should arrange in-person interviews instead. At this point, it was clear that her English skills were too poor to maintain a structured, professional dialogue.
After five minutes of this unpleasant exchange, I had heard enough and informed her that I was no longer interested in continuing the conversation.
