The interview process began positively with a pleasant recruiter screening where we discussed my experience, career goals, role expectations, and the company overview. I then completed a 1.5 hour take-home assessment, writing a comprehensive documentation example (I suppose testing technical writing ability), which successfully advanced me to the technical round. However, the technical interview was poorly managed and unprofessional.
Despite receiving a preparatory email explicitly stating I would NOT be tested on code knowledge (standard for support engineering roles), the interviewer arrived late, appeared unprepared, and immediately began testing me on coding - the exact thing I was told would not be covered.
After approximately 10 minutes, the interviewer abruptly ended the session, claiming I wasn't meeting some undefined standard or checkpoint. And that was my last interaction in the interview process, no follow-up email or communication was provided afterward.
The disconnect between what was communicated and what actually occurred, combined with the interviewer's unprofessional conduct and lack of basic courtesy, created an extremely negative experience. This was particularly disappointing given the time investment required for the take-home assessment. The experience raises concerns about internal communication, interview process consistency, and overall company culture.
For a support engineering role where technical troubleshooting skills are more relevant than coding ability, the process felt misaligned with the position requirements and company values.