The interview process consists of five stages: Interview (screening) with HR, Interview with the hiring director, A take-home challenge, Technical panel with senior developers, Final interview with the CEO.
I progressed to the third stage, and up until that point, everything was well-organized and as expected.
However, the senior panel was a major disappointment. There was no attempt to build any connection, and it was clear that the interviewers had little interest in engaging. To give an example, one of the developers didn’t even turn on his camera.
Another issue was the complete lack of discussion about the take-home challenge. I expected to talk through technical decisions and trade-offs, but instead the questions were limited to very basic C# concepts. Even more surprising, the same developer who kept his camera off asked me questions about Java, despite the role being focused on Golang, with a preference for C#. At no point in the job description or process was it indicated that I should prepare for Java-related questions.
My recommendations for the company:
- Ensure interviewers are more engaged and committed to the process.
- Make sure questions are relevant to the position rather than random, as otherwise it feels like the decision had already been made before the interview even started.
- Include female developers in the panel, not only men, to bring diversity of perspectives.
Finally, I received no feedback at all, neither from the company nor from the recruiter who referred me. This lack of communication shows a clear disregard for candidates and leaves a very negative impression of the hiring process.