Rejected After an HM Screen Filled In by a Senior Staff Engineer

A recruiter from a startup reached out to me on LinkedIn. I figured I'd learn a bit more about it, so I decided to take the interview. The first round was an HM screen, done by a senior staff engineer. He said the team hadn't hired a manager yet, so he was standing in for that role. It was mostly about my projects and behavioral questions. Maybe we just didn't click, because I didn't pass. Here's…

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