I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Ciklum (Chennai) in May 2025
Interview
The Process (6 Rounds Total)
HR Screening Call: Basic discussion around experience and current role expectations.
Hackerrank Test: Included multiple choice technical questions and a coding problem (focused on Android/DSA).
Technical Interview: With a developer from Europe – in-depth questions on Android architecture (MVVM, DI, Singleton, Coroutines, Flow).
Delivery Manager Round: Behavioral and technical questions about CI/CD, SOLID principles, Github workflows, and team dynamics.
Leadership Round (Head of Engineering): A long, draining discussion that mostly repeated earlier questions and vaguely explored Ciklum’s projects.
Final HR Round (Expected): Never happened. Was told the role is “on hold,” and then received inconsistent messages about being considered for a lower role (Senior instead of Lead), without technical feedback or closure.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
After clearing 5 rigorous rounds, I was left hanging with no clarity.
The Head of Engineering (non-technical) decided I was "fit for a Senior role" despite me clearing all rounds aimed for a Lead position. That’s frustratingly arbitrary.
The HR team ghosted me post mid-May, offering no professional courtesy of a closure email or concrete feedback.
Multiple follow-ups were ignored – clearly showing a lack of candidate respect and a deeply unprofessional process, especially from the Indian HR team.