My process started with recruiter outreach over email. I answered a few questions and then moved into a phone interview. After that, I had a one-on-one interview, and the whole thing felt off—there was no clear structure, and the questions didn’t line up with the technologies or languages listed in the job description. I left feeling like it was hard to “prepare” for because what I was being asked didn’t connect to the posted role.
The experience also dragged out with uncertainty. After the recruiter step and the conversations that followed, I was still waiting to hear back. Another time, the recruiter-led flow ended with a decline after a very difficult interview, where I was pushed through deep resume questions and then had to complete a coding challenge that felt moderately hard. Across these experiences, the overall vibe was that the process didn’t feel tailored or fair, and it was difficult to trust the signal I was getting from the interview questions.
> 1 year
Average Positive United States
After the recruiter call, I ended up doing a more technical round with the team lead. The process felt pretty structured: first there was a quick conversation to confirm the general parameters of the role, and then I moved into the team interview where I was asked technical questions. It was all virtual and the people I spoke with were friendly, and the communication between everyone involved felt unusually smooth.
During that team portion, the questions leaned a bit technical but still stayed grounded in fundamentals. I also had behavioral questions and questions that came straight from my resume, so it wasn’t just theory—it was also how I talked through my background. I felt like if I had a decent grasp of the topics they touched, I’d be able to do well, and that’s how it played out.
> 1 year
Easy Positive California, MD
I had a shorter, more conversational experience that still included a noticeable technical element. After applying, I first went through a quick recru…
> 1 year
Average Positive Colorado Springs, CO
From the moment I applied, the process moved in a steady rhythm. It took about two weeks to hear back from a recruiter, where we covered basic informa…
Unlock every Systems Engineer interview experience