Interviewing with Slalom is like peeling an onion, where each new layer reveals a new level of incompetence.

I applied for three positions at Slalom over the last year. Two for local, one for Slalom Build. I really wanted to be a part of this organization. One of the best places to work on Forbes! The culture! The learning! Their values aligned with mine, and I wanted to bring something special to them.

The first time I applied, I waited 2 months to get through the interview process and was told that I was chosen and an offer would be coming any day. Cut to three months later with very little communication, and I'm told the CMO decided hiring wasn't a priority and I wouldn't be getting an offer after all. Five months I was on the hook!

Several months later, I was invited to apply for another position. The description of the team and work was so vague that it felt like they either didn't know what I would be doing or were trying to keep it a secret. After my first interview, the person I spoke to suggested I email him some samples of my work that he would critique before my next interview. He explicitly said to me, "I'll take off my employer hat and put on my colleague hat to help you." So I did. Instead of giving me feedback, he responded with, "Thanks, I'll forward these to the manager you will be talking to."

When I finally did get to talk to the said manager, she was late to the interview, she was eating, she turned her camera off, and made it abundantly clear that she didn't want to be speaking to me at all and that I was wasting her time. Unsurprisingly, I wasn't chosen for that position.

Finally, I applied for a Software Engineer position. I passed the phone tech screen and did "better than others with similar backgrounds." I had the coding interview and felt like I nailed most of the questions, and the interviewer told me he really liked talking to me and it's clear I know what I'm doing. In fact, at the end, I asked him for immediate feedback and if I had passed, to which he enthusiastically said yes and that the recruiter would be in touch for next steps.

Four days later, the recruiter called me and said, "He doesn't think you're ready. We aren't moving you forward." He evidently only had one sentence of feedback with a vague mention of API experience and a suggestion to try again in 6 to 12 months.

I can't decide who is more incompetent: the recruiters or the leaders. The communication was inconsistent. The assurances were walked back. The insistent ideology of transparency that I was sold on was patently false. I've gotten so many mixed messages from these people that my head is spinning. They may be one of the 'best places to work,' but you would never be able to tell based on their hiring process.

I sure would have liked to see what people are raving about when it comes to Slalom, but it's clear they really, REALLY don't want me to work there.

Some tips:

• Study SQL, design patterns, REST APIs, Classes, OOP, SOLID principles, and learn the FizzBuzz coding algorithm.

1. What is the difference between a class and an interface?

2. What are the principles of OOP?

3. What are some common design patterns?

4. Various questions on SQL queries

5. What are the main differences between C# and Javascript?

6. How would I start writing a new website?

7. What is the difference between == and ===?

8. What is the difference between POST and GET requests?

9. How do you set up your projects on your IDE?

10. What are some different data structures?