The interview was conducted via a platform called Karat, where you talk to an engineer over video chat and write code for a given problem live during the call.

It's a unique way to conduct an interview, and I kind of liked it, despite it being a pressure-filled situation due to the live coding.

The emphasis was on getting a complete, working solution; half-solutions were not allowed (which I think is flawed, but whatever).

Luckily, I was able to code a perfectly acceptable and optimized solution within the expected 45 minutes. The interviewer mentioned I should contact Pinterest if I didn't hear about the next stage of the interview process, so I felt confident I had nailed it.

Instead, I received an email from the recruiter stating, "We have many applications for this position and thus we cannot follow up with the interview further."

This is not only unprofessional, considering the time invested, but especially so after getting everything right.

I can only wish you good luck and urge you to please not interview candidates when you have no intention of giving them a fair chance.

To add context, I have over 11 years of relevant programming experience. The only negatives I can confidently point to are a "degree from a non-top school" and "lack of experience with relevant tools." For both, I believe my experience compensates, and tools can be learned as long as the problem-solving approach is sound.

Pinterest, please fix the human element of your interview process. While technically it may be fine, your human interaction is absolutely degrading to the engineering hiring process.

Thanks,

Data structure and algorithm question combining hash, lists, sorting, and logic. More on the real-world application side of these concepts than theory.