I interviewed for recently and was told that there would be a people management interview followed by a number of technical / system design interviews. It was a 45 minute conversation focused on some situational type questions and questions on what type of leader you are, how you motivate a team etc. I came away from the calling feeling that it went relatively well. I was able to provide examples of times where I had to manage the types of situations they asked about and offered my view on a number of questions they had asked (keeping the STAR method in mind). However, I got an email from a noreply email address the following day to say that they wouldn't be proceeding with my application. While I did expect that it would be a difficult interview process overall as I understand that they do cast a "wide net" to get the best candidate for a role, I had honestly expected to at least be given the chance to proceed a bit further in the process and demonstrate my technical knowledge after the people management conversation. I had asked beforehand if it would be a competency based interview and was told to just read up on the companies mission and values to understand the type of company they are. I emailed afterwards for some feedback as I would be interested in understanding what was lacking so that I could improve for future conversations but heard nothing back. Overall, it was disappointing as I still genuinely think this would be a really interesting company to work for and would at least liked to have had the opportunity to try to demonstrate why I felt I would have been a good fit for the company and the role.

I seldom leave negative reviews; however, my experience with Raj Tarat, a recruiter at Coinbase, has left a lasting impression. Raj reached out to me regarding an Engineering Manager position at Coinbase while I was on holiday with my three children. Despite the challenges, I managed to secure a reliable internet connection and an appropriate location to participate in the screening interview. Unfortunately, I found his approach to be somewhat unprofessional, leaning toward arrogance, with questions that felt clichéd and lacking focus. At the conclusion of the interview, despite being fully aware of my circumstances—stranded in a remote location with three young children—Raj insisted that I complete an assessment and submit it by the end of the week. I rearranged my plans and put all activities on hold in anticipation of receiving the assessment. Regrettably, despite my efforts to follow up via email and personal messages, I was completely ignored and received no response. This experience was both frustrating and disappointing.