Screen call with recruiter, followed by a 1-hour phone call with the hiring manager.

I was curious why it wasn't a Zoom or video call with the hiring manager when we started the interview. I felt that if we were going to spend an hour talking, we should be able to see each other. The hiring manager politely declined.

He then started talking and continued for about 25 minutes about the specificities of the role. Most of that information was already available in the job description.

Next were some behavioral questions on management, such as "tell me about a time..." and "What makes a good engineer?" At no point did I feel genuine interest from the manager in my experience; he seemed more focused on going through his list of questions.

Lastly, I was given less than 5 minutes to ask some questions. I asked what the person coming into this role would need to focus on to be successful in their first 90 days and how that would be measured. To which the hiring manager answered that the expectation was to get onboarded, and the onboarding would take a longer time, ultimately not answering my question.

I also asked about the next steps. His answer was: if I moved to the next round, there would be a technical exercise with two engineers, and if that was successful, then there would be six different interviews with members of the team. I did not say anything at the time, but this is way too many interviews.

I think companies need to stop looking for a unicorn, act with agency to hire talent, and not waste candidates' time.

About a week after the interview, I received a phone call from the recruiter, which is very appreciable. They said they had decided to pursue another candidate. I asked if they were willing to share more, and they were graceful enough to share some useful feedback. I appreciate that as well.

Ultimately, from my perspective, the hiring manager did not run a proper interview, ask questions relevant to the role, or show much interest in having an actual discussion about the role.

Q: Tell me about a time you had to handle conflict.

Q: What are the top qualities a Software Engineer should possess.

Q: What was the latest code-related/technical mistake you made?