Oh, interview processes, love them, so here’s a cool story. I once interviewed for a FAANG company. After 2 interviews they invited me onsite and booked flight + hotel on my behalf. Checked-in into the hotel and they asked for my private credit card for incidentals and I agreed. https://twitter.com/krzyzanowskim/status/1249090249785032706

Checked out from the hotel the same day of my interview and the front desk asked if they could use my credit card to pay for the stay. Of course not, the company booked it and they have to pay for it. They had no credit card of the company on file, but would reach out to them.

I was supposed to get an answer one week later regarding my interview, but of course the recruiter and manager ghosted me. An external agency reaches out to me directly to ask some information about another expense I had since the recruiter wasn't answering them either.

Fast forward two weeks later, and my credit card is charged $800 and I'm still without an answer from the company even though I spent 3 days traveling + interviewing with them. Hotel says they couldn't get an answer from them, so they're charging me instead.

I call the hotel asking for an explanation and it takes them a week to tell me it was a mistake on their side and will refund the money asap. They will try to figure it out with the company once again.

2 weeks later and another charge appears on my credit card from the hotel. At this point it's been over a month after my stay, so I call the hotel manager and explain the situation. They say the company is refusing to pay since they never approved that booking. Wait what?

They literally booked it for me.
I ask for an invoice to the hotel and send it again as an expense to the external travel agency, who without questions, immediately refunds me the full amount. So this is how a single interview almost costed me $800 and 3 days of time.