I was invited for a face-to-face interview for a position in the .NET technology stack at Deutsche Bank's Bangalore office.
The interview invitation outlined the following process:
Test or Assessment (Pen and paper) – Which did not happen
Technical/Coding Round
Project Fitment
HR Fitment
Candidates were instructed to arrive 30 minutes early and bring their personal laptops.
The experience became frustrating even before the interview started. Upon reaching the office address provided in the email, security at the gate did not allow my vehicle inside the campus. I attempted to contact the recruitment representative mentioned in the email, but received no response despite multiple attempts.
I then contacted another recruiter who had previously spoken with me regarding the interview. The response I received was simply that security may not allow parking inside and that I could "park anywhere and come." For candidates unfamiliar with the area, this is neither practical nor helpful. Expecting candidates to find parking on their own around a large tech park without any guidance reflects a lack of planning and consideration for the candidates.
After finally reaching the interview location, the first and only round conducted was a timed Codility assessment on my personal laptop and submitting the test, I was informed that I had not cleared the assessment and therefore would not proceed to any of the remaining stages. I was asked to leave without any technical discussion, project fitment conversation, or interaction with the hiring team.
My concern is not the rejection itself. Rejections are part of every hiring process. The issue is that candidates were asked to travel to the office for what was essentially an online screening test that could have been completed remotely from home.
If clearing the Codility assessment was a mandatory elimination criterion before any face-to-face discussion, it would have been respectful of candidates' time to conduct the assessment remotely and invite only shortlisted candidates for onsite rounds.
In my case, I spent nearly six hours of my day commuting, navigating parking issues, waiting, and completing an online coding test that could have been administered from anywhere. For a senior position I was invited for, I expected a more professional, transparent, and candidate-centric hiring process.
My recommendation to Deutsche Bank is simple: conduct screening assessments remotely, clearly communicate elimination criteria, and invite candidates onsite only after they have cleared the initial filters. Doing so would save considerable time and effort for both candidates and interviewers while creating a much better candidate experience.