Here is yet another "I should have listened to the other reviews and not wasted my time." interview.

The HR and Hiring Manager interactions both went great. Communication was timely, and the process seemed organized and to be moving along quite well.

Then I was sent a take-home assignment that required extensive research into GitLab products, putting together a large slide deck, and presenting it in the next (panel) call. Despite asking about the interview process, the HR person never mentioned any take-homes, so this was the first breakdown.

I spent 1.5 days preparing the presentation. This involved extensive research, creating slides, getting review from ex-colleagues, and practicing multiple times.

I presented very well, projected confidence, and answered the vast majority of the panel's questions quickly and accurately.

The problem came towards the end of the call when my would-be colleague (who made a point of stating at least 3-4 times that this is the first time he's interviewing someone for this position) started grilling me on security questions pertaining to their products. These are things that no one can possibly be expected to know without having worked at GitLab for months.

What's more, the word "security" is not mentioned in the job posting even once. Nor is it on my resume, nor did it come up in earlier calls.

This individual decided he didn't like me and started looking for ways to fail me, which he clearly succeeded in doing.

Don't waste your time with GitLab. There are plenty of other companies that actually take their interviewing processes seriously and know what they are doing.

What security scanning options does GitLab offer?