My biggest frustration came before I reached any technical depth. The recruiter interactions were my first real signal, and they didn't feel aligned with what the role actually required. In our conversations, the recruiters seemed more focused on ticking boxes and pushing me to name a salary than on understanding my background or motivation.
One screening call felt especially transactional. It seemed like they were trying to get the compensation discussion out of the way immediately instead of building context. The recruiter was professional in tone, and I had time to ask a couple of questions, but the discussion centered heavily on the skills and experiences listed on my CV. There wasn't much deeper exploration of what I'd done or how I matched the specific work.
I eventually wasn't able to move forward from that stage. The contrast stood out to me because the engineering-side conversations I later heard about, or experienced, seemed much more respectful and engaged. I left the recruiter stage feeling that the process was focused more on logistics and verification than on genuinely evaluating fit.
Location: United States. Overall feedback: Negative. Offer status: No offer.
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