The process was professional and well-structured, consisting of three main stages: Initial Outreach: I was first contacted by an external recruiter who reached out via LinkedIn. We had a brief 20-minute introductory call to discuss the role requirements, my background, and general expectations. HR Screening: After the initial interest, I moved to a formal screen with the internal HR team. This was a friendly, 30-minute conversation focused on culture fit, high-level experience, and logistical details like benefits and next steps. Technical Panel Interview: The final stage was a deep-dive technical panel with several team members. This session lasted about 90 minutes and covered both specific technical expertise and broader architectural concepts.

The interview process felt rushed. The HR phone screen lasted about 3 minutes. When asked for my available times to meet with the hiring manager, I gave several times during the week that would work. HR then scheduled an interview with the manager outside of those available times. The interview with the hiring manager seemed to go well, though it was shallow on the technical details. I received my canned rejection email immediately after the interview, so at least they were on the ball with that.

Unprepared and unaware how to actually interview. Coding interviews should not be a quiz where you ask textbook questions that you can google in five seconds. That was this interview.