My interview process started well but ended up seeming to be a bit of a bait and switch, with tech screenings required for languages not listed in the job description.

I had great initial conversations with the hiring manager and recruiter, followed by a successful, simple tech screening. After those first three rounds, they scheduled me in for a five-hour day with two tech screenings and three interviews.

I noticed that one of the tech screenings was for a language not listed in the job description or my resume and brought it up. It was promptly changed to a tech relevant to the job. Unfortunately, the second interview turned out to also be in a tech not mentioned on the job description. I screened poorly – not a surprise because I've never worked with that tech and wasn't prepared at all.

In the end, I was rejected because they feared I wouldn't be ready to hit the ground running.

Failing job interviews happens, but it's frustrating to miss out on what seemed like a promising opportunity over a tech screening with no relevance to the role. The initial people I dealt with seemed like really stand-up individuals, but I was left with a bad taste in my mouth.

To the recruiting team: Please consider being honest with your recruits. If you require a tech, just say so and save everyone a lot of time.

To potential interviewees: Make sure you know Python, even if it's not in the job description. It seems to be part of their standard screening process.

Most of the tech screenings were straightforward tasks for those familiar with a language.