Completed a comprehensive and detailed interview loop consisting of 6–7 structured rounds, including technical, architectural, and leadership discussions, designed to thoroughly evaluate expertise, problem-solving ability, customer engagement skills, and strategic decision-making capabilities.

The interview process itself was well structured in theory and the interviewers were generally professional and competent. I had an initial screening interview, followed by a full interview day consisting of five interviews. The hiring manager interview was particularly good, and most of the technical interviews were fair and engaging. However, there were significant issues on the HR / candidate experience side, which negatively impacted the overall process. What went well: Interviewers were knowledgeable and professional Hiring manager interview was positive Most technical interviews were relevant and well run Clear structure (screening + interview loop) What could be improved: Poor HR communication and candidate support HR was extremely slow to respond to questions and provided little to no guidance on how to prepare. Even basic questions (e.g. whether to focus on AWS-specific technologies or general cloud concepts) went unanswered. Lack of ownership during HR absence The HR contact went on holiday with no handover, which stalled my process for nearly three weeks. No one took over communication, leaving me waiting with no updates. Inefficient interview loop design I later learned that I had failed the first interview in the five-interview loop. Despite this, I was required to complete the remaining four interviews, which took an entire day. Since a single failure already meant no offer, this resulted in unnecessary time investment for both the candidate and the interviewers. The process could be improved by stopping the loop earlier where possible. Excessive cooldown period After the rejection, I was given a 12-month cooldown before reapplying. For a technical gap—especially for someone with a strong background at large tech companies—this feels excessive. With clearer expectations upfront, the gap could realistically be addressed in a much shorter time frame.