The interview process was simple. HR called and set up a phone interview. The phone interview was not technical, which was strange as I was told it would be. I was called onsite after the phone interview for a 3-hour technical round. This was also strange; in my 8 years in the Bay Area, I've never had such short technical rounds. Moreover, out of those 3 hours, 1.5 hours were for the technical round, and the remaining 1.5 hours were non-technical.

Technical Round 1: The interviewer didn't know anything about networking and was asking networking questions. I had to correct him. In his defense, he acknowledged he was asking the wrong questions. I was asked networking and virtualization questions.

Technical Round 2: There was one single question on network troubleshooting and some Linux questions.

Other rounds were non-technical. I knew I would be rejected as soon as I finished the last round; it was all over the manager's face. Basically, they did not know what they wanted. They don't want experienced people joining the team, thinking it will be expensive, but there is definitely something going on internally.

1. I was not challenged during the interview. Two technical rounds for a full-time job? That's weird.
2. I was not given feedback as to why I was rejected. They knew they had nothing to offer because they had made up their minds.

Having worked in this area for 8 years, I can easily tell what the team is looking for. Here, the team doesn't know what they want. There's no clear roadmap on how to build a great team. When asked about this, the manager did not have any answers.

So, my interview experience was quite sketchy, from having only two technical rounds to not getting feedback. Moreover, whatever technical stuff I was asked was just basic. It gave me the impression they were going through the formality of interviewing. I knew I had nailed the interview through and through and would still get rejected because I could feel all of the above. I am glad I got rejected because I would not want to join a team where they don't know what they want, don't know how to build a team, or if there is any politics. I am glad I didn't get it. They paved me a way to their competitors. That's where I am going now.

Basic networking, Linux, and virtualization. Nothing difficult, just basics.