I recently went through the interview process for a software engineering role. Initially, I applied and was informed that I wasn't a suitable fit after the initial contact. However, I later connected with someone from HR at a meetup, and they were kind enough to offer me a second chance, which I appreciated. The first interview involved a coding exercise that was relatively straightforward. The second interview stage required an on-site visit to their offices. Upon arrival, I learned that one of the interviewers was working remotely that day, resulting in a somewhat unusual setup with one interviewer in person and another joining remotely. The technical task for this round involved designing a system for users and smart groups. Unfortunately, this part of the interview didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. I felt that the remote interviewer's approach during this task was more focused on identifying weaknesses rather than exploring my design thinking. Overall, I commend the HR team for their willingness to reconsider my candidacy. However, the structure and execution of the second technical interview could benefit from some refinement to ensure a more consistent and constructive experience for candidates.

A brief interview on the phone and then a technical interview via zoom. The questions were interesting and felt very clear. The interviewers were friendly, even funny and that is really appealing.