My ordeal interview experience lasted about a month. I received an HR call from the UK early in the morning at 7 am, asking me to come for a scheduled interview the next morning.

Following the HR round, there was a pre-sales manager round.

Next, they provided an assignment which I completed in 4-5 days.

After this, I was asked to provide my availability for three consecutive rounds. I provided it and waited but didn't hear back. After follow-ups, I learned that the team was busy.

After a few days, I received another update asking me to provide my available schedule once again.

After that, it was scheduled: three rounds in a span of 15 days.

Now, the magic begins. In the first technical round, I observed a data science candidate coming with a question paper that had written answers. He was conducting a data engineering round with the given background, which is fine. However, what I observed was not acceptable to me.

After each question, he validated it by reading what was written on the answer paper and reconfirming if I had said the same. Of course, it was similar, but it couldn't be identical. Moreover, the questions were information-based (like graduate examination papers), such as: 'Tell me what a window function is,' 'Name all the types of joins,' 'What is a left outer join,' 'What are Spark file formats,' lacking real-time experience-based questions! I was expecting more real-time questions that gauge how a person can apply their experience to a given situation. These concepts could still be tested as part of those situations, focusing more on experience and value addition rather than checking Google-based knowledge.

After this round, there was no response from HR. After a couple of follow-ups, I learned that technically it was okay, but the answers were not precise (I wondered how they could be when the answers were matched with written responses).

The next two rounds were with sales personnel.

After one month of this process, I received an auto-reply stating, 'Post review of your application, we are not going ahead.'

Who comes with a paper and written answers to conduct an interview and reads them to ask questions?

If you experience nasty questions, illogical patterns, delays in updates post-interview, or HR highlighting different reasons to get back later, there are high chances that they are tacitly buying your time, interviewing others in the background, or have selected someone else in parallel.

Do not waste your precious time on such interviews further!

Difference between coalesce and repetition

Q. List down different kinds of joins?

Q2. Left Outer join: What will be the number of records? Can they be different than the outer table?

Q. What is a window function?

Q. What are types of joins in Spark? (broadcast, sort merge, shuffle... in that direction)

Q. What integration patterns would you suggest?