I applied for an open senior software engineer position through LinkedIn and then a recruiter contacted me to start the process. I had 4 interviews: the first with the recruiter to explain the whole process and the job, the second with one of their engineering managers, the third one was a technical interview with 2 very friendly engineers and the fourth one was the final interview with one of the company's heads. After each interview I would get an email from the recruiter stating that I did really well and they'd like me to advance to the next step. This happened until the last interview with the head, after which I received a vague email stating that they would not proceed with my candidacy with no specific reason whatsoever. I replied back asking for a more specific feedback on the decision, since it was obvious to me that the last interview played a role in the decision, but the recruiter didn't care to reply to my email. What's weird is that the last interview was mostly a situational interview, so to have a "you did really well" reply for each interview made for then to be dismissed and ghosted after a situational interview at the end, is really bonkers.

The interview was both interesting and friendly, covering key topics such as security, OAuth 2.0, microservices, Java core concepts, design patterns and principles, and system design scenarios. Discussing these areas allowed for engaging conversations that provided insights into the my knowledge and problem-solving skills. Overall, it was a positive experience that highlighted the importance of these topics in modern software development.