real interview stories, told over a cup of tea ♡
Interview Experiences
3935 interview stories from candidates at 857 companies: how each round went, what was asked and how it ended. Every company page links to practice questions in the same style.
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3935 results
- Rejected After the Recruiter Call, Before Any Technical RoundOpenAI · Software Engineer · HR Screen · Jul 2026Rejected
I was pretty surprised. I never expected to fail at this round. A friend referred me. The role is not in the AI area, and it matches my current job by more than 80%. When I scheduled the call with the recruiter, I asked if there was anything I needed to prepare. The recruiter said no preparation was needed, so I assumed it would be a very casual chat to get to know my basic info. These are the qu…
- Rejected for Background Mismatch After a Resume-Heavy Technical ScreenCisco · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jul 2026Rejected
My first round was a technical phone screen with a TL. They said it was technical, but since my experience and the role (low level/embedding) weren't a great match, they spent a lot of time deep-diving into my resume. On top of that, my big-tech infra project architecture was fairly simple, and I had to explain some of the tools I'd used, so before I knew it, 50 minutes were gone. The coding ques…
- Rejected, Then an R1 Invite Two Weeks LaterGoogle · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jul 2026Rejected
I got the referral from a friend for the SWE III role. Three days after I applied I was already rejected — but then two weeks later the recruiter suddenly sent me an R1 invite, so I went ahead and did the interview. Coding — no self-introduction, straight into the problem. The question was roughly: given a graph where every edge has a safety value, and a given safety threshold, find the minimum s…
- Remote K8s Role, Passed Two Screens Then Bumped for an Internal TransferApple · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jul 2026No response
Screening: I had to hand-write a consistent hashing ring from scratch; then K8s questions, like where do you start when a pod has a problem; and finding a bug in some Terraform. The result came back on the spot, and half an hour later the recruiter replied to schedule the phone screen. All I can say is, fast. Phone screen: they gave me skeleton code for a union find and I had to fill it in. Then…
- Renesas Software Engineer Interview Experience: Seniority mismatch after two roundsRenesas · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jul 2026Rejected
I went through two rounds with Renesas, including an L2 technical interview. The conversations were professional, and the interviewers seemed knowledgeable. The discussion matched what I had presented, and I did not see a major red flag during the interviews. Nearly two weeks after the L2 round, I was told that my experience did not align because the role was for a more senior candidate. What bot…
- Reply Software Engineer English-language onsite interview experienceReply · Software Engineer · HR Screen · Jul 2026
The process began with an HR phone call and continued with a video call. After that, I was invited on site for a technical interview and a more personal conversation. All communication and interviews were in English. The sequence was simple and orderly. I did not receive an offer, but I came away with a clear sense of the format and what later stages would involve. Location: Brüssel. Overall feed…
- Reply Software Engineer Interview Experience: React, Python, and LLM integrationReply · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jul 2026
I applied online and later had a technical interview for a full-stack role. The position centered on React and Python, with AI work and LLM integration. The discussion was clearly aimed at understanding how I would work with modern components and model-related use cases. I felt reasonably aligned with the topics, but I did not get an offer. My final impression was that the interview stayed tied t…
- Research Analyst interview at International Enterprise Organisation: interview experienceInternational Enterprise Organisation · Research Analyst · Jul 2026Offer
After a recruiter-style first chat, I had an online interview that was genuinely pleasant. The interviewer kept the exchange moving with quick back-and-forth questions, but it never felt like a grilling. It was a friendly conversation, with follow-ups about my past experience and expertise that seemed intended to understand how I had actually worked. The pace and responsiveness stood out. The que…
- Research Scientist interview at Scientific ResearchScientific Research · Research Scientist · Jul 2026
I started with a recruiter screen after submitting my CV, then moved into a stage involving group leadership. There were two main stages separated by a few weeks, so the overall timeline felt longer even though the steps themselves were not overly complicated. The first was an HR-style check of my fit. The second involved two hiring managers and scenario questions. That was the frustrating part:…
- Research Scientist interview at Thermo Fisher ScientificThermo Fisher Scientific · Research Scientist · Jul 2026
After applying, I had a recruiter screen and then a stage with a group leader and a senior. It felt like a standard research-role check of fit and background before the team-specific work. Soon after, I met virtually with a manager and a line manager at the client site, then moved to an onsite panel with a large group from different sections. That onsite lasted roughly four hours and felt like a…
- Resmed Software Engineer Interview Experience: Retakes before the manager conversationResmed · Software Engineer · Other · Jul 2026Offer
My interview process was short and straightforward. After the initial step, I had two video rounds: one allowed me to record and retry as needed, and another was an in-person conversation with my reporting manager. Both conversations were grounded in my resume and prior experience. They also looked at my willingness to learn and whether my technical ability matched the role. The first format allo…
- Resmed Software Engineer interview: a month of waits and multi-level conversationsResmed · Software Engineer · HR Screen · Jul 2026Offer
The process stretched over about a month, and long waits set the pace more than the interviews themselves. After applying, I had HR screening and was supposed to connect twice, but the first meeting did not happen as scheduled. A couple of weeks later, I interviewed with the hiring manager and a senior engineer. The conversations mixed technical and softer questions tied to my resume and past exp…
- Resmed Software Engineer interview: practical transferable-experience discussionResmed · Software Engineer · Jul 2026Offer
I had a direct interview with the department manager and another representative. It was essentially one session, balanced between technical discussion and softer-skill questions. They connected their questions to the experience I had listed, using it to understand how I would apply similar thinking on the job. The tone was practical rather than theoretical, as if they were evaluating how transfer…
- Resmed Software Engineer interview: unexpected Java and full-stack questionsResmed · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jul 2026
My first technical round was supposed to be focused on data structures and algorithms, but it did not match that expectation once it began. Instead, the questions leaned strongly toward Java and full-stack topics. I was asked how to create scope in Java, what proxies are, and how to explain a multiton pattern with an example. The interviewer came across as rude, which made the round more stressfu…
- Revolut Account Executive interview experienceRevolut · Account Executive · Jul 2026
The recruiter screen felt rigid and nearly scripted. It was not unfriendly, and I appreciated receiving guidance about the next steps, but it came across as robotic and straightforward. The hiring-manager stage was stressful because the format differed from what I had been told. In addition to the assessment I expected, I was given extra tasks connected to companies I had researched. That cut int…
- Revolut Account Executive interview: pitch preparation and a disengaged managerRevolut · Account Executive · HR Screen · Jul 2026
The interview was quick and easy to follow. I started with a pleasant, engaged recruiter conversation and then spoke with a sales manager. It was a practical, concise sequence rather than a long process. For the sales-manager discussion, I prepared a pitch in advance, delivered it, and had time to ask questions. We covered my background and how I approached the role. Although the interview was no…
- Revolut Operations Manager Interview Experience: take-home case rejected before deadlineRevolut · Operations Manager · HR Screen · Jul 2026
The process had a recruiter screen, an online assessment, a live case interview, and then a week-long take-home business case. The assignment felt like substantial unpaid work: it involved a JIRA workflow, process maps, SQL queries, and a full fraud-detection analysis. I was rejected while I was still finishing the take-home, before its deadline. That made the process feel disorganized or dishone…
- Revolut Operations Manager interview: 30-minute screen and aptitude-test cutoffRevolut · Operations Manager · Jul 2026Rejected
I began with a 30-minute screening call about introductory context and my background. Right after that, I took a UCAT-style criteria aptitude test. The threshold for moving forward was very high. I scored below it and was rejected immediately, so I did not get to later steps. It ended quickly, with no extended follow-up or extra rounds. The test was the whole gatekeeping moment, and it felt unfor…
- Revolut Operations Manager interview: aptitude tests and a prepared case discussionRevolut · Operations Manager · HR Screen · Jul 2026
I started with an HR screening interview, followed by a couple of online assessments. One covered work style, and another tested criteria or aptitude. After those, I moved to a problem-solving case. HR gave me a 15-minute preparation session before the case discussion. It made the process feel tightly organized, though also high-pressure. I found the rounds difficult. The early tests felt decisiv…
- Revolut Operations Manager interview: competency screening and psychometric testingRevolut · Operations Manager · HR Screen · Jul 2026
The first HR screening call was fairly intense. It opened with why I wanted to work at Revolut, then quickly moved to competency questions connecting my experience with the role. The pace made it feel as though they wanted to establish fit early. An online psychometric test was scheduled within the next few days. After the assessment, I had a more detailed discussion with a hiring manager, follow…
- Revolut Operations Manager interview: take-home and logic quizRevolut · Operations Manager · Take-home Project · Jul 2026
My interview path had several steps and felt more like a consulting-company funnel than a role-specific evaluation. After the early stages, I completed a take-home project and then faced a timed logic-question quiz that immediately changed how the process felt. The next major step was an interview with someone in the role I was applying for. What threw me off was how little the questions seemed r…
- Revolut Operations Manager interview: two months of shifting logisticsRevolut · Operations Manager · Online Assessment · Jul 2026Rejected
The process felt chaotic from the start. A recruiter first contacted me on LinkedIn, then passed me to another recruiter whose availability was about three weeks away. That call was cancelled at the last minute, and the rescheduling options were extremely late, around 1 a.m. and similar times. After scheduling, I was ghosted until I chased a different recruiter through contact details I had found…
- Revolut Product Manager interview: structured cases and bar raiserRevolut · Product Manager · Other · Jul 2026Rejected
After a recruiter call, I went through about four stages over roughly a month. The first substantive interview was a business problem-solving case. I clarified the situation, organized it in a MECE way, formed hypotheses to ask for data, and held off on solutions until I thought I had confirmed the root cause. The next case combined product thinking with technical system design, including the des…
- Revolut Software Engineer concurrency and database interview experienceRevolut · Software Engineer · HR Screen · Jul 2026
The interviews centered on backend fundamentals: concurrency, databases, and how transactions behave under pressure. The process began with an HR round that included technical scenarios rather than staying purely behavioral. I was asked about concurrency and isolation, and we discussed database topics such as locking, CQRS, sharding, and indexes. Later technical interviews focused on production-r…
- Revolut Software Engineer interview experienceRevolut · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jul 2026
I received what was described as a technical-screening invitation, but at the start I had to work out who I was speaking with and what they expected. The first technical prompts arrived in chat. Later questions switched to a verbal exchange without a clear explanation. That inconsistency made it hard to tell what the interview measured, and I spent attention decoding the process instead of the te…
- Revolut Software Engineer interview: distributed systems and opaque system designRevolut · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jul 2026Rejected
The process started smoothly with a recruiter screen and technical rounds rooted in practical distributed-systems patterns. I cleared several early stages, but I did not get through the system design interview. That round was difficult because I could not tell what the interviewer wanted me to emphasize or how quickly to move through the discussion. The earlier coding and technical work was concr…
- Reynolds and Reynolds Account Executive communication experienceReynolds and Reynolds · Account Executive · Jul 2026No response
The process was drawn out. Communication began strongly but faded after recruiter and hiring-manager conversations. I repeatedly encountered silence, with no clear timeline or closure, even after being told I would hear back. Some steps felt like boxes being checked rather than real engagement with my answers. In a few conversations, I felt the interviewer was not listening. I also completed stru…
- Reynolds and Reynolds Software Engineer interview: video screenReynolds and Reynolds · Software Engineer · Jul 2026Rejected
After I applied, the company contacted me by email and set up a video interview. It followed a normal format with common background and fit questions. Nothing about it felt hostile or disorganized. Afterward, they told me they would not continue with the hiring process. They mentioned that a cheek swab could come later in the process, but I never reached that point. It was a quick, routine experi…
- Rippling Account Executive Interview Experience: Structured mock call with managersRippling · Account Executive · HR Screen · Jul 2026
I applied and received a quick, positive response that let me choose a meeting time. The process began with a recruiter screen covering why I wanted sales, why Rippling, what the company does, and how my prior experience fit the role. I then spoke with hiring managers and reached a role-play mock-call stage. That portion was more structured and role-specific, and I did the mock call with managers…
- Rippling Account Executive interview: advanced process followed by recruiter silenceRippling · Account Executive · Other · Jul 2026No response
My process began normally and I made it through several rounds. Near the end, it became clear they were not moving forward. The recruiter said they would contact me that day or the next, then I heard nothing. After multiple interviews and getting fairly far, the lack of follow-through bothered me. I can understand that an early process may be slow or ambiguous, but this silence came after I was a…
