Standard 4-phase interview: Manager, Coding, API Design, Culture Fit.

Completed all rounds with good feedback, receiving hints that an offer was coming up. The recruiter kept checking up on availability, start date, and salary expectations.

However, HR/recruitment ended up stringing me along about an offer post-final interview for 3-4 weeks. After multiple follow-ups, I was told the role was given to an internal candidate. This made me feel like it was a sham process where I never had a chance, and like my time had been wasted.

The good:

• All interviewers mentioned good work-life balance, supportive colleagues, and a positive work culture.
• Met some really nice people during the interviews.

The bad:

• Web IDE tooling was not working during the coding interview, and I was not allowed to use my own IDE.
• One of the interview pairs was not engaged at all and appeared disinterested in conducting the session. They barely engaged in conversation and really did not seem like they wanted to be there.
• The interview process was drawn out, with no definite outcome after completing all stages for 3-4 weeks.

Tell me about your previous role.

REST API Design related questions.

Coding exercise specific to the business domain - non LeetCode.