Encountered some red flags during the interview process.

HR communicates with slow delays, stretched over days and even weeks.

After 15 years of C++ experience, they skipped straight to "prove you can code" with a HackerRank test that would make quantum physicists sweat. No call, no feedback, just digital tumbleweeds.

Pro tip: If you're collecting resumes like Pokémon cards rather than hiring, maybe mention that in the job description?

Turns out I wasn't a candidate – I was market research with a pulse.

They wanted you to recite the language standard while blindfolded.

Template metaprogramming questions that would make Bjarne Stroustrup himself reach for Stack Overflow.

Time constraints tighter than memory allocation in an embedded system. Less "How would you solve this problem?" and more "Quick! Explain move semantics while juggling compiler errors!"