The interview process at Ford involved three rounds, starting with an initial HR call where I was asked about my background and resume. Within a week, I moved to the first technical round with an engineer from Ford.

It was a very interactive session where I was asked three coding questions related to palindromes: one basic, one involving arrays, and one numeric check. The questions ranged from easy to medium difficulty and were done in a simple compiler environment.

Following that, I progressed to the final round with two lead architects. They focused on my resume, system design experience, and real-world projects I had worked on. It was a great conversation, and they expressed strong interest in my work. Based on the feedback, I was hopeful for the outcome.

Unfortunately, the process became unclear after that. The recruiter initially informed me that a decision would follow within a week, but over time, communication slowed down significantly. A few weeks later, the recruiter told me the interviewers had liked me and that the role was still under consideration.

Despite my follow-ups over several months, I was told the role was still under consideration due to internal organizational changes. Eventually, I saw my application marked as “Not Retained” in the portal without any direct closure from the recruiter.

As an international student navigating a challenging job market, I put my best into each stage and was genuinely hopeful. The lack of clarity and communication toward the end made the experience discouraging, especially after a strong interview performance. It also highlighted how important it is for roles to be organizationally aligned before interviews are conducted.

One standout thing they asked me in the interview was to explain a system I had worked on, specifically how I designed and implemented it, the tech stack used, and how I handled scalability and security. They asked me to draw and explain it on a cloud board.