I was referred to the Software Development Engineer In Test, II, position at Akamai. The initial round of interviews was with the hiring manager, followed by a panel of 4 interviewers.

Initial rounds of interviews with the hiring manager and 2 interviewers from the panel were highly engaging and professional.

However, my experiences with two other interviewers (unable to disclose their names) were markedly different, and I wanted to share my experience due to their concerning nature.

Throughout the interview, they doubted the authenticity of my educational and professional background, implying that my profile was "fake" and asking me questions like:

• “Why did you do your masters in the US? Did you not get a seat in India for higher education?"
• "Why was your undergrad in mechanical engineering and master's in industrial and systems engineering, but your work experience as software QA?"

Such accusations were not only unfounded but also delivered in a manner that I found to be deeply disrespectful. At one point, while reviewing a coding challenge, one of them remarked in Hindi, “ratta mara hai shayad,” implying that my solution was merely memorized, further questioning my technical competence offensively. His scrutiny escalated to insinuations of dishonesty when observing my natural process of debugging code, questioning if I was seeking answers through prohibited means like ChatGPT, despite my adherence to using only my laptop.

Despite these challenges, I strived to engage constructively, relying on internet resources solely for syntax clarification, and only after receiving explicit permission from the interviewer.

The subsequent interview with the final interviewer did not improve the situation. For an SDET role, he decided to test me with a LeetCode hard-level question. His demeanor appeared disinterested, and his feedback on my approach to solving a coding problem was dismissive and unjustifiably accusatory. He prematurely concluded that I had prior access to interview questions and was sourcing answers from the internet, a claim that not only lacks basis but also undermines the integrity of the interview process.

The conduct exhibited by the 3rd and 4th interviewers was not only unprofessional but also detracted significantly from the otherwise positive impression of Akamai.

I felt it was important to share this feedback, as it reflects on the company's brand and the candidate's experience. I reported this experience to HR, but I'm not sure if any action was taken against the interviewers. I hope this review will be helpful for all future candidates.

Trapping Rain Water (LeetCode Hard Level)