RejectedHR Screen

Cold Recruiter Screen, Rejected Before I Parked the Car

DatabricksForward Deployed Engineer (FDE) · Senior+ · HR Screen · May 2026

Databricks recruiters are really arrogant. I took the recruiter's call today while driving to the office, and it turned out to be the right call — I didn't waste much time. I'd honestly forgotten when I casually applied for this senior FDE role. Right off the bat she asked, coldly: "Where are you located, specifically which city?" I said I was in the Bay Area — I was worried that naming a specifi…

Shared by a candidate · reported May 2026. Interview formats change; use it as a guide, not a script.