A recruiter contacted me on LinkedIn regarding a position that seemed fairly in line with my background. During our phone call, the recruiter seemed quite rushed, as if just checking off boxes on a form to prepare me for the phone screen.

The phone screen itself was odd. The interviewer appeared very nervous and asked no specific coding questions, only high-level discussions. I felt I understood some topics better than the interviewer, but he didn't indicate disagreement, which would have allowed me to elaborate on why our company's approach differed (and, I believe, was superior) to their methods at Mongo. Instead, he simply moved on to the next questions.

After a week without hearing back from the recruiter, I initiated contact. In my view, employers should always provide feedback, regardless of the decision, as a basic courtesy.

Employers, take note: If your recruiter seems overworked, indifferent, or detached, and they are setting the initial impression of your company, that is not ideal.

Overall, the level of professionalism at this company did seem high.

For the phone screen, all high-level questions and no coding.