Developers Frustrated by Broken Tech Interviews
Experienced developers consistently report frustrating and inconsistent interview experiences. These range from unclear problem statements and lack of context, to disrespectful interviewer behavior and overly rigid evaluation processes. The focus seems to have shifted from assessing practical skills to adhering to inflexible, often performative, interview formats.
SOURCES (60)
“I had (in my opinion) the best interview I've ever had I my professional career recently. I felt prepared, a good connection with the team members who interviewed me, and %100 confidence that I would be a perfect fit for the role. 2 weeks went…”
“Hi everyone, I have an upcoming interview with PwC for the TPM + RGM SF Developer – Experienced Associate role. If anyone has recently interviewed for this position, could you please share your experience? I'd really appreciate any insights on: The interview rounds Technical questions (Apex, LWC, Flows, SOQL, integrations, etc.) Scenario-based or hands-on questions Overall difficulty level Any preparation tips I've been preparing as much as I can because I genuinely don't want to mis”
“I am an early employee (first 3 hire) as an engineer. My startup interviewing is all done by my CTO and there is very little (usually zero) input from other engineers on the team. We are about 15 to 20 people at our company, maybe half are engineers. Is it strange to have hiring so unilateral? submitted by /u/lilinformatiker [link] [comments]”
“I've passed two interview loops of system design interviews up until this point in my career for mid level engineering roles. I'm a senior engineer now going through recruiting again and am curious if the system design interview rounds will be roughly evaluating the same things for senior vs mid level or if they're expecting me to be substantially more technical in how I answer the question. For IC4 mid level eng, knowing the components and their attributes and math was enough. What&”
“Communication is many aspects. Perhaps you can clarify more in what aspect of communication? Someone who is easy to understand? Ask a technical question and request explain it as to speaking to non-tech person. The more they can simplify it, the more they understand the topic. Someone who is initiative, if there is issue, they took the initiative to let you know and not hiding it. Ask something when they make mistake, question what they will be do first. If you looking just someone that you enjo”
“Hello there, I've got an initial recruiter phone screen with Dell on Tuesday for a Systems Development Engineer I role (Primary Storage / PowerStore-PowerFlex serviceability team). I'm coming from a non-traditional background with no formal SWE/sysadmin job history yet. I have an computer engineering degree which is very related, and some AWS SAA-C03 and CLF-C02 certs, and some portfolio projects The JD leans on Linux fundamentals, basic TCP/IP, bash/Python from coursework or personal pr”
“I am just starting out at an entry level tech job. I did an internship before and it did not go well. I just attended the orientation for this job and I am worried it is also starting to go the same way my internship went. I think I try to be nice to everyone and try to make friends with them. It never seems to work out though. I really think I might overshare or get awkward and flustered easily. Sometimes, I get overly excited to contribute to the team and I feel like they just take advantage o”
“I’ve found curiosity is one of the strongest hiring signals. People who ask thoughtful questions usually ramp up faster than people who try to sound like they know everything.”
“You should be prepared to answer that question for every interview you walk into. I usually select something about the company I’m interviewing at which is different than may previous company “ie: I previously worked for a distributor, but I’m interested in working for a manufacturer due to X, Y, and Z”. Your answer doesn’t have to have anything to do with the reason you actually want to leave. How did you answer this question?”
“Yeah I reckon you're right. I've hired a fair few people over the years and I've been wrong both ways. Had people who smashed the interview and turned out hopeless. Then had people who could barely sell themselves but ended up being absolute guns. A resume tells me what you've done. It doesn't tell me if you're the bloke that's gonna turn up and give a shit when things go sideways. You don't really know until they've been on the job for a couple of weeks.”
“I'm on STEM OPT and have been interviewing for software/data engineering roles. I keep getting through recruiter screens and technical interviews, but every process ends differently: Company 1: Made it to the final round, then got ghosted. Company 2: Passed the initial coding round, and they wanted to move me forward, but the role required a security clearance, so that was the end of it. Company 3: The hiring manager literally told me during our call that he'd love to interview me again”
“I recently applied for a systems engineer role, and went to my 3rd interview. Didn't know this would be a competency interview, as I had already had a technical assessment, and technical interview prior. I work help desk and only have a 30 minute lunch, so I came from back to back calls and tickets to that. Each question went more and more granular until I couldn't answer. I did well on some, with the interviewer saying there has been people who he interviewed with their net+ that couldn”
“Are the companies still make your write code from zero to advance levels and move to system design/ architecture. How much agentforce are coming in the picture during interview. If the candidate has some hands on project in github but no production agentforce deployment, how much is this gonna help his/her get hired. I have 9 years of salesforce architect/senior developer experience with top Big4 and Im a mom of 2 years old. I have 1.5 year of gap. Im trying to return to job market. Any suggesti”
“Interviewing for a job in broadcasting/it (mostly lower level it) Large highly selective company. I’ve been reviewing for the final interview since I made it to the final round out of 4. I was told last round they really like me, but I need to study up on broadcasting and networking for the final interview told me to study like 1080p vs 1080i, SMPTE, ST 2110, general like networking (tracing/ping), also just basic AV stuff. Not sure exactly what questions to expect and what other concepts might”
“Hey guys. Whoever had or will have an interview at the Greer office, could you share your timeline from moving your case to this office to scheduling an interview, please? I’ve been waiting for like 9 months since the case moved to this office submitted by /u/AvailableLeading5525 [link] [comments]”
“Great post, and one that hopefully results in some growth in your conversation partner.”
“Anybody ever gone into an interview and was told thanks for preparing, hearing literal, “wow”, uttered by one of the panels, and still got rejected? Sorta nervous. I was told I’d hear back in a week. I admit, I sound like a great candidate, the role is Chem E, and I spoke a lot about education in college, as well as experience. I think I just forgot to loop all of that into the job description in my final statements, and I’m afraid that will make me look weak. Thoughts? submitted by”
“Two weeks can feel like forever when you're waiting, but please don't read too much into it yet . The recruiter saying they're waiting on the client suggests the bottleneck may be on the client's side rather than yours. And our brains can be tricky at times, so keep in mind that "no update" isn't the same as "bad news." Clients sometimes pause hiring because of scheduling, approvals, budget reviews, or changing priorities. If possible, until there's ne”
“Yeah but hireright aside, if it was on your resume, the person interviewing/hiring you could find out. You never know when they might know someone at that org and check in "oh I have this interview candidate that's worked for you as a volunteer for over a year...." People are way more connected to each other in whatever industry than fresh grads new to the working world tend to realize.”
“Data? Can you give us the logos that informs this answer, or is it just how you feel the process should go?”
“Thank you so much for your feedback. I agree 15-20 minutes is not a lot of time. I like your suggestion of doing real-world examples together as a whole group and asking to explain their reasoning. For the last portion where student create their own drawing have students work solo or with a partner to label the parts that are triangle, the sides, curved edges etc. This change makes it easier for me to prepare as I only have to make a set of shapes sorting cards per group, a paper handout, and pe”
Totally agree that trying to measure enthusiasm is a rookie mistake.
“People are reading a lot into this question. Totally clueless, bad personality, etc.”
“Not had an interview since late May/ early June so it’s dried up a little. A little bit of me wondered if it’s just the summer months and all but that shouldn’t be an excuse for it either way.”
“Depending on the kind of job it is, I would really question “enthusiasm” for the job. Why are they so enthusiastic? Be careful if you are hiring based on personality. Things can change. Consider carefully if you really have the time and staff to train someone who is missing skills.”
“What would you say if your interviewer asked you to describe some key experiences / positive outcomes from your 3 yrs at the current company?”
“I got a job interview next Tuesday for an internal role. The manager contacted me saying that they would like to move it to Monday since that's when they are in office together with the other interviewing manager. However I don't want to interview on Monday since I will be out the entire weekend at a convention and I'm afraid I'll be too 'con brained to interview well. I need time to mentally reset after the convention. Interviewing the Monday after doesn't seem like a go”
“Hi guys, I just wanted to know if anyone applied for the Engineering Assistant role recently for Turner (NYC based) had phone screening and awaiting to hear back? I would appreciate if you guys can share if you heard back since phone screening. submitted by /u/TECHMECHBOT [link] [comments]”
“Most AI case prep tools now have the AI play the interviewer. We didn't build ours that way, and it's deliberate. If you've done a real case interview, the hard part was never the framework, it was reading a person: was that follow up because you're off track, or are they just testing if you'll hold your structure under pressure. An AI playing interviewer can mimic the script but not the tension, and it definitely can't replicate a rushed interviewer having an off day, wh”
“That's a more deliberate design than I assumed, most tools in this space would just rotate through a fixed question bank and call it adaptive. The failure mode I'd be curious about: someone who gives a vague first answer on purpose, hoping to avoid handing you a quotable claim to anchor on. Does the system have a fallback for that, or does a vague first answer just become the ambiguous thing it probes?”
“leetcode and blind 75 are boring but they help a bit, do mocks with friends too, still barely getting callbacks tho, hiring right now is a mess”
“Im currently interviewing with a lot of companies. Some companies have changed their process, some have not, but generally you can expect 1 DSA interview and a larger weight applied to the systems design interviews. Back when I was applying in 2022 it was like 1-3 DSA rounds + maybe 0-1 systems design. Now it’s 0-1 DSA and 1-2 systems design and then 1-2 rounds of deep diving into your experience in a very technical sense”
“I just had a 1hr in person interview with Senior Director of Technology for a Software Developer role (Intermediate). It went well and the conversation seemed very positive. Problem is when he asked about my salary expectations. I asked if there was a budgeted range, but he said it was internal. I replied with $80k–110k(Glassdoor's expected range is something like $65k - 95k). He said that sounded reasonable. Looking back, I think I anchored myself lower than I intended. Based on the current”
“Yes - remember it’s your show - your still in control - breath. Write a script of questions and rehears. Practice. When the interview happens gently guide with broad questions. If they push back go with it. Let them lead for a while then redirect. If it’s good material let them talk. If they struggle step in. It’s your show and you can edit. Remind them, subtly of they try to take over. If there are good bites then cool them out for posting on social. On my pod I run it hosting then cut to clips”
“You’re asking how to do user research. There are many books on user research. Videos and podcasts too. You’ll learn a ton by consuming those. Fastest way to learn: hire a user researcher for a few interviews and learn side by side with them. A good one will know which tools ‘should’ be used the way you learn in school and which ones aren’t necessary.”
“I personally think there is nothing like running your own interview and getting direct feedback on your work. That look of ‘meh’ you get when you can see a user isn’t excited by the value of your latest creation stays with you and carries into all future thinking. I’ve worked in a couple of teams where we did interviews together (one interviewed and the others watched in another room). And we had a rule that anyone in the team could run an interview (engineers, designers, everyone) and that yes”
“For my final SWE I interview, I was given a take home assessment to code a Car Rental System in any language using OOP principles within 2-4 hours. I will then be interviewed on my solution by 2 interviewers for 60-90 minutes. My question is: Will I probably have to code live? (Them asking me to add features, etc) submitted by /u/FutureFAANGEmployee [link] [comments]”
“ask what they ate for breakfast, weird answers break the ice. cold pizza from a guest once turned into a whole bit before we even started.”
“Interviewed for a 100% remote Senior Azure Engineer job today. Was picking the screeners brain a bit (as I had a referal from someone internal). She said, that almost every role they post over the last several years gets an internal refferal. They're interviewing 4 people for the role (including me), all from refferals. Said the position has 500+ applications, none of which will be viewed at all. So applying is basically a dead end process in the tech industry now....just aweful. Been laid o”
“people can smell nervousness like a dog smells fear. just treat them like you've known them for years. skip the formal interview voice and talk to them like its 2am at a diner also dont overprepare questions, let the convo breathe. some of the best stuff comes from the tangents”
“Interviewed 6/15 and it went smooth with no outstanding RFE. Status went to “actively reviewing” the minute we walked out. Since then I’ve had three silent updates on 6/17 6/29 and 7/14. Each one was just the timestamp moving with no new event code. Somewhere around 7/7 the status flipped from “actively reviewing” to “still being processed.” Case is still open and nothing shows as action required. Has anyone had a run of soft updates like this after their interview? Did it turn out to be final r”
“Yes pretty much this. It implies management wasn't open to your needs without being negative. It can be hard to come up with answers like this on the spot. Now you'll be ready! I always try to be honest, and in a pinch, I don't think it's a bad idea to say, that's a tough question, I am not comfortable answering this right now, as I may inadvertently paint a coworker in a bad light. Can I answer this in a follow up letter or call if you prefer?”
“I agree I do I just really want this role. It's a dedicated infrastructure role making more money and it's right up my alley. I did tell her that I didn't feel supported and then I kind of like answered but didn't answer. But yeah what you're saying is good advice and I should look at it like that. I'm pretty sure the technical team will understand completely. Because I did mention several times that I'm operations for the entire company and at one point I listed out”
“I can understand why candidates would move on if they've had experiences like that. If companies expect professionalism from candidates, they should hold themselves to the same standard. A quick message goes a long way.”
“"Have you done anything to alter the position since then? You know, so you don't burn people out and get to keep them on instead of hunting for people."”
“Do you have a UX designer? I’m a big believer in interviews to ID pain points, but not for solutioning. I don’t like putting prototypes in front of users unless your company doesn’t have any UX experts. That’s my opinion because UX design is not about individual preferences but about efficient and cohesive workflows.”
“I have a technical interview for a machine learning position coming up, and I'm really nervous. Can you tell me about your experiences with this process? It's my first technical interview, and I don't know what to expect submitted by /u/Abatistta [link] [comments]”
“during my interview, during hr orientation, meeting my managers, and my coworkers all seperatly told me how my positive attitude was going to be a huge morale booster around here. Im a month in and see why. im waiting to hear back from an interview somewhere else today.”
“I was laid off from a FAANG adjacent SaaS company a few months ago and been interviewing for remote roles as a senior product manager. After many interview cycles with various companies I found one that I aced the case study and had a final “formality” round with the VP of Product scheduled this week. The recruiter called to confirm my comp expectations a couple days ago so I was basically expecting an offer. She mentioned they were capped and would not be able to go any higher. I aced the inter”
“I'm not that great at frontend, I know frontend and learning back end too. I can create websites and turn figma into code but not exceptionally good I wonder if they ask me that, is there anything I can say which can make them consider or maybe even hire me? What thing I can say? submitted by /u/memorable_glasses [link] [comments]”
“I'm in an interview process. I've been told that the next round will consist of "live coding system design" questions. Live coding DSA I get. Whiteboarding-style system design I get. Does anyone have insight into what live coding system design questions could look like? Thanks in advance for any insight. submitted by /u/Coyote-Chance [link] [comments]”
“I’m currently working in Big Tech but was contacted by an agency working on behalf of a top quant trading firm (Jane Street, Citadel, Optiver, etc.) I’ve completed 2 interviews so far and am prepping for my last one at the end of this week. So far it’s looking pretty good, but it would require a move to NYC. Just wondering if there are any recruiters here who have made the move from FAANG to Quant - what are the major differences in your work load and WLB? How does the culture differ? Any insigh”
“Hey everyone, I have a bit of a weird situation that I’m not sure what to think. I’m interviewing with a company and have been through 3 rounds including an on-site, full day interview. I got all positive feedback during that and they asked for references afterwards. They took last week to talk to contact them (they all said they were contacted) and then messaged me to schedule a Zoom call for the Friday this week. But then they, out of the blue, asked for 2-3 additional references who specifica”