A recruiter reached out regarding a Software Engineer position. I mentioned my interest in an Engineering Manager role and provided links to relevant positions from their careers site.

We had an initial call to discuss my background and experience. The recruiter repeatedly evaded questions about which position I was being considered for. She then presented a "Systems Engineer" position, which I had no interest in pursuing, insisting that all candidates start there during the interview process and that fit is determined later.

The interview process included:

• A Karat Interview
• A virtual on-site round with 4-5 interviews
• Potential conversations with senior executives

During my 1-hour Karat interview, the interviewer spent the first 20 minutes introducing himself, inquiring about my background and projects, and discussing my experience. He then clearly stated that there would be one question asked, and the expectation was to complete it within the remaining time. The sole objective was completion and passing all test cases, with no emphasis on optimization.

I successfully finished the question within the allotted time, and all test cases passed. The interview recording was shared with Roblox. A week later, I received an email from the recruiter stating there wasn't a "good technical match." When I requested feedback, I was shocked to learn that the expectation was to solve multiple questions during the Karat interview!

What I don't understand is: Why was there such a major disconnect between Roblox's actual expectations and the information communicated by the Karat interviewer? Furthermore, why were the first 20 minutes of my interview spent discussing projects if the expectation was to solve multiple (three) questions?

This situation is a clear indication of a company operating with chaos:

• Lack of clear communication internally and externally regarding the hiring process and expectations.
• Incompetence of the recruiter in answering candidate questions.

I would never want to work for such a company and am glad the outcome turned out this way.

Finding a rectangle of zeros in a 2-dimensional array of ones and zeros and returning its position and size.