There were four rounds: recruiter screening, technical discussion, technical challenge, and culture fit. Overall, the process was professional, and the QA team interviewers were friendly, welcoming, and enjoyable to speak with.
From a technical perspective, the feedback throughout the process was very positive. I was even told that I was considered a “5-star candidate” in terms of skills and knowledge, which made me feel genuinely encouraged and confident about the opportunity.
Unfortunately, the final culture fit round with the Engineering Manager and Product Owner left a very different impression. The atmosphere felt unexpectedly cold and unforgiving compared to the earlier stages. Most of the questions focused on my past experiences, such as my biggest challenges, difficult situations at work, and how I handled them professionally.
I answered all questions honestly and to the best of my ability. However, due to confidentiality obligations from previous employers, I do not believe it would have been appropriate for me to disclose highly sensitive internal details or go excessively deep into certain situations. Despite this, I was later criticized for supposedly not providing enough detail in my answers, which felt unfair and contradictory to the earlier guidance I had received from other interviewers about keeping responses concise.
During the interview itself, the interaction also felt difficult to navigate naturally. The interviewers asked very few follow-up questions and often appeared distracted or disengaged. At times, it felt less like a genuine conversation and more like being silently evaluated without much opportunity to build rapport or clarify expectations.
In particular, the Product Owner frequently went off camera during the call and seemed unsure about what questions to ask, which made the session feel somewhat unprepared and disconnected. Overall, while the technical process was strong and positive, the final round unfortunately created a noticeably less pleasant experience.
Personally, I left the process feeling that the final decision was unfair and potentially biased, especially considering the overwhelmingly positive feedback I had received regarding my technical abilities throughout the earlier stages.