A very lengthy but inefficient process:

• Online assessment
• 1-hour phone interview
• A 6-page design assignment
• A 5-hour loop interview

Items 1-3 were time-consuming, but it seems they weren't taken into account for the final decision, although they claim all information was considered.

What mattered for the final decision were the opinions of the five interviewers in the loop interview. Regardless of how well or poorly you performed, there seem to be hidden rules regarding sufficient experience in solution design, customer-facing roles, or consulting.

You also have to compete with AWS Support Engineers who are keen to apply for Architect roles after years of experience.

In my loop interviews, some interviewers were not friendly or even rude. They didn't smile, and you didn't feel welcomed. Some interviewers seemed to be recovering from a hangover. You had to explain very basic things desperately so they could understand.

Give me an example when you had a difficult interaction with your customer.