The interview process started off well and moved quickly at first. It began with a recruiter screen to discuss the role and assess alignment with the position's requirements. The second round was with the hiring manager, which provided an opportunity to dive deeper into the role and explore my experience in detail. The third round involved a 90-minute live technical assessment, focusing on JavaScript, CSS, and SQL. The difficulty level was comparable to a basic-to-intermediate HackerRank challenge. Additionally, questions around microservices architectures and other broader discussions around APIs.
Throughout the process, all the interviewers were professional, approachable, and a pleasure to speak with. The three rounds took approximately two weeks to complete, and I was informed by the recruiter afterward that I had received positive feedback. I was told to expect an update the following Monday to discuss next steps.
However, it wasn’t until Wednesday that I received a message stating that additional candidates were still being interviewed and that the decision-making process would take another week. Unfortunately, after that, the only further communication I received was a generic rejection email 12 days later.
While I understand the competitiveness of the job market and the volume of qualified candidates, the lack of transparent communication after three rounds of interviews, paired with an impersonal rejection email, left a disappointing impression. Providing more timely updates and personalized feedback would have reflected better on the company and demonstrated respect for the time and effort candidates invest in the process.
