Interview Process:
Two-round interview process over two weeks.
Round 1 (July 10): Originally scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but was rescheduled to Thursday 9 AM just 2 hours before the original interview time. The interviewer was 10 minutes late and initially joined the wrong Teams meeting link (the original Tuesday meeting room). The interviewer mentioned they had also transitioned from compiler work to GPU kernel development. Despite the scheduling issues, the interview progressed to the second round.
Round 2 (July 24): The interviewer stated that my compiler background wasn't a good match for the role, emphasizing that the position required extensive GPU kernel development experience. They noted that I had been "away from this field too long" and that my experience didn't align with their GPU-focused requirements.
Experience:
The job requirements weren't clearly communicated upfront. The emphasis on specific GPU kernel experience only became apparent during the interviews, despite having relevant AI compiler background. The first round's last-minute rescheduling and technical difficulties created a poor first impression.
Overall:
Interview coordination needs improvement, and job descriptions should better reflect the specific technical requirements. The role appears to require very particular GPU experience that wasn't clearly stated in the posting.
Advice:
Ensure you have direct, recent GPU kernel development experience before applying, as this seems to be a hard requirement.