I wanted to share my experience regarding the recent coding interview round at Avalara. The round involved invoking a REST API, processing its results, and providing the final output. While I understood the question after reading it thoroughly, I had some clarifying questions to ensure I was aligning with the expectations. However, the interviewer mentioned that there shouldn’t be any clarifying questions and I should take all decisions myself. Soon after, he switched off his camera. I could hear background noise, indicating he wasn’t actively present. When I tried explaining my approach to seek validation, there was no response. He rejoined after an hour only to mention that he needed more modularity in the code, and then left again. I completed the code, ensuring all test cases passed. I also asked if I should optimise code latency using threads, to which he agreed, and I implemented those changes successfully. Despite these efforts, I was informed later that I did not clear the round because I took more time. It was quite disheartening because I spent a significant part of that time waiting for the interviewer to return and provide necessary feedback, without which progress was ambiguous. I am sharing this not out of disappointment for the rejection, but because such experiences can affect a candidate’s perception of the organisation. Avalara is known for its strong engineering culture, but these interview practices might project an unprofessional image and potentially deter future candidates.