Worst of experiences ever:

I applied online, and a recruiter reached out to schedule next steps in mid-July.

I was scheduled for a phone screen a few days after that.

This individual showed up for the interview and said, "Design a rate-limiting system." I responded, "I thought this was supposed to be a coding round." He replied, "This is a coding round, but you have to design a rate-limiting system."

Okay, I started to code and asked him what requirements and constraints he wanted me to consider. To which he replied, "Just do whatever you want." I understand that we are supposed to be creative, but there must be some expectations that an interviewer has from candidates. I just wanted to know what he expected in the solution, and he just kept saying, "Do whatever you want." While I was coding and walking through the solution, he seemed to be continuing to do his own work. I had to explain certain lines in the code two to three times.

This was the most bizarre interview I ever had. A few days later, the recruiter called back and said, "You did well, but we need to down-level you since you did not live up to the expectations." I was furious at that point but accepted it.

For next steps, she suggested I provide dates for an on-site interview and fill out immigration-related details. I did that, and a couple of days later, she called me and said they were no longer hiring within that organization. "If something else turns up, we will let you know." My phone screen results were valid for the next six months.

This was the most unprofessional experience.

Coding - Design rate limiting system