One of the worst candidate experiences I’ve ever had.
I was assigned a technical project to build a School Management System API — a large-scale backend system with role-based access (Superadmin, School Admin), complex business logic, and strict requirements around authentication, validation, error handling, testing, documentation, and security.
To top it off, they insisted I build everything using their internal template — which was completely undocumented, hard to navigate, and unlike any standard project structure. I had to reverse-engineer how things worked just to get started.
They gave only 3 days for the assignment, without asking my availability. Since I’m a full-time engineer, I asked to do it over the weekend. I spent my entire weekend, working non-stop with minimal breaks to complete everything, even the bonus tasks.
However, I did my part with the following:
- 22+ endpoints with full CRUD operations
- Complex business logic like classroom capacity limits, student transfers, etc.
- Authentication and Authorization middleware
- Strict input validation and error handling
- Rate limiting, security headers, and best practices
- Full Dockerization
- Database schema design with EER diagram
- API documentation
- E2E tests using Jest and Supertest
I submitted the project on time, fully functional, tested, and near production-ready.
And then I was completely ghosted.
No feedback. No acknowledgement. No follow-up.
This is not just inconsiderate — it’s exploitative. They got a full working system built with care and pressure — and gave me nothing in return. It feels like they’re using candidates to get free work, with zero regard for our time and effort.
If you're considering interviewing here — don’t. It’s a complete waste of time.
