Initial call was with a recruiter who let me know they were revamping their hiring process, so it would take a week or two to schedule the phone screen.

Two weeks later, the phone screen was not a typical algorithm question as mentioned by the recruiter. It was a prebuilt app that had a broken service it was calling, and you had to work around it. That went well.

Onsite, there were 4 rounds broken into 2 days. The first day was values and a coding challenge. The coding challenge was supposed to be a continuation of the phone screen problem, with changing requirements and improving on what was written from the first call. Just like the last couple of reviews, it was a completely different question. I was totally thrown off by this, since both their interview prep material and the recruiter said this is what to expect. It wasn't a very hard problem and again, like the last review, I got through all of the requirements except the last one, which was something that would've taken 2-3 minutes. It was honestly the only requirement that simulated a day in the life of a modern developer. The interviewer told me that the recruiter would reach out to me if we were going to continue on to the second half of the final round. Essentially, telling me I was rejected based on this interview.

Every company has its processes and rubrics, so I can't be upset about this, especially a smaller startup. It's more of a gripe because, for one, I am a big fan of the product, which is now tainted for me because of this experience. Not that my subscription fee keeps the lights on. I just thought it was strange that they focused so much on their interview process, being open and honest about what to expect and how to prepare, but then don't really own up to the fact that what seems like a flub or, at worst, a diversion tactic shouldn't be held against candidates. I mean, if the last few reviews, which are from the last 30 days, are telling the same story, there is a very good chance it's your fault and not ours.

So beyond that, I thought everyone was awesome, fun to talk to, and obviously good at what they do. I wish you all at Calm the best and keep producing great content.

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