Interview Experiences

Real candidates, real loops: every round, what was asked, and how it ended.

Share yours, earn XP

7 stories

Likes earn the author +10 XP for the first 3 likes each day

An applied AISoftware Engineer
Reported Aug 2026

An applied AI Software Engineer Interview Experience: Invitation promised, then rejection email

A recruiter told me I was moving forward and that an invitation for the first interview was coming. Before that, they sent questions in advance, and I answered everything. As far as I knew, none of those responses was a problem. The process then ended with a rejection email that gave no explanation or feedback. That lack of communication was the hardest part, especially because I had been told to…

RejectedHR Screen0
An applied AISoftware Engineer
Reported Aug 2026

An applied AI Software Engineer Interview Experience: clear recruiter handoff to hiring manager

The process for the Software Engineer role began with a straightforward recruiter screen. It was easy and focused on my background and whether I seemed like a fit. The communication was clear about what would come next. I then scheduled a hiring-manager round. The flow felt organized and respectful, and the timeline and coordination were timely. I appreciated that the recruiter explained the purp…

In progressHR Screen0
An applied AISoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

An applied AI Software Engineer interview: hostile and confusing interview conduct

The process began with an HR-style call and then technical and bar-raiser-style conversations, but it quickly felt hostile and disorganized. Interviewers would not turn on their cameras and resisted when I asked to see them. Two people in one meeting space had similar accents, which made it genuinely hard to tell who was speaking. In other rounds, people did not seem to listen closely and sometim…

HR Screen0
An applied AISoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

An applied AI Software Engineer interview: technical, manager, and bar-raiser rounds

The process felt high-stakes and had two technical rounds, a managerial round, and a bar-raiser-style discussion. It opened with a coding round that could eliminate me. Once I finished it, the remaining stages came quickly. After a short gap of a couple of days, I completed the next rounds in a single day. The pace left little time to decompress, and I had to stay sharp across different formats.…

Technical Screen0
An applied AISoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

An applied AI Software Engineer interview: unclear live coding expectations

The initial screening felt normal, but the technical interview did not. I was given LeetCode-style questions, and the interviewer's behavior made the situation tense. They did not want to explain the question and expected a fully running solution while I was answering. That mismatch between the communication and the expectation put me under stress and did not feel supportive. I did not move forwa…

Technical Screen0
An applied AISoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

An applied AI Software Engineer interview: TCP, TLS, and system design

I started with a deep technical round that gradually broadened into leadership-oriented conversations. The first round covered middleware and networking fundamentals, including TCP, TLS, certificates, and how an F5 Big-IP device is upgraded and configured. It was detailed enough that I needed to be precise, but I could answer most questions and keep the discussion moving. The next stage was a tec…

OfferTechnical Screen0
An applied AISoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

An applied AI Software Engineer interview: rushed EV charging design discussion

I got pulled into a Karat-driven stage that felt chaotic and rushed from the start. It was split evenly between system design and a DSA problem-solving block. I was asked to design an EV charging-station app that could find the nearest station and handle payments, and I was pushed to move quickly. The conversation barely felt like a design discussion. I spent a lot of time on basic whiteboard too…

Technical Screen0

What are interview experiences?

An interview experience is a candidate's own account of a hiring loop — not a question bank entry. It tells you the shape of the process: how many rounds there were, what each round actually tested, how long the gaps between them ran, and what the recruiter said at the end. That context is the part a question list cannot give you.

How to read them

Weight recent write-ups more heavily — interview loops change, often within a year. Read several for the same company and role rather than one: a single account tells you what one interviewer asked, while five tell you what the bar is. Note the outcome badge too, since a rejection write-up usually explains the gap far more precisely than an offer one.

Share your own

Every published experience earns 50 XP, and each of the first 3 likes it receives in a day earns you 10 XP more. Likes must come from established accounts; like-for-like swaps and likes from your own second account are not paid. Write it while the details are fresh — the round order, the exact prompts, and how much time you were given are what the next reader needs.

Share your experience to earn XP