My interview experience started off well but quickly took a turn for the worse. I was initially contacted by an HR representative who scheduled an introductory chat to get a general feel for me, followed by a first-round, non-technical interview. This was surprising—why conduct a behavioral interview with non-technical leaders before assessing a candidate's technical skills? Nevertheless, that round went well; the interviewers were friendly and emphasized the company's people-focused values. Things began to unravel after that. I was given a take-home assessment to complete within four hours. I submitted it first thing Monday morning but heard nothing until the next day, when HR confirmed a technical interview. Then, radio silence again until the following Monday, when HR apologized, citing a release as the reason for forgetting me. This was odd for a consultancy, not a product company. The technical interview itself was a disaster. One interviewer arrived on time but was shy and awkward, leaving me to carry the conversation. The other, a Principal Consultant, was 10 minutes late, didn't apologize, and appeared unprepared. He asked the Lead Consultant if he had any questions prepared—he didn't. The Principal Consultant then asked vague, difficult-to-decipher questions. Worse, he explicitly inquired about the technologies, tools, and patterns used at my current company. While not confidential, it felt unprofessional. They also didn't know which role I was applying for and had to confirm with me during the interview. Afterward, HR scheduled a follow-up meeting but failed to attend, instead calling me, surprised that I was waiting in the meeting room she had set up. Ultimately, they offered me a Senior role instead of the Lead role I applied for. I declined immediately. The entire process was riddled with red flags: disorganized scheduling, unprepared interviewers, and a general lack of respect for my time. One interviewer appeared to be multitasking during the interview, typing away as if responding to messages. My advice: don't waste your time on their take-home assessment. With AI tools today, anyone can produce a polished coding task. The company's disorganization and unprofessionalism were shocking, especially given their recognition as a "Best Place to Work." Reading other interview reviews later, I realized my experience was not an isolated case.

Process started with a chat with People and culture team member and then coding challenge. Then next stage is technical interview with a Principle engineer which would be based on the coding challenge and other software engineering principles. The final interview is with a Partner and people and culture team representative. The hiring process began with a conversation with a member of the People and Culture team, followed by a coding challenge. The next step is a technical interview with a Principal Engineer, focusing on the coding challenge and broader software engineering principles. The final stage involves an interview with a Partner and a representative from the People and Culture team. It’s a thorough process, but it’s clear the Mantel team is committed to finding candidates with both strong technical skills and a great cultural fit. The technical questions I faced were in-depth and challenging, which I appreciated.