There were three interview rounds in total. The first was a 45 mins call with the hiring manager where we discussed my resume, previous experience and projects. It was a structured and thoughtful conversation and I cleared that round successfully.
The 2nd and 3rd interviews were with team members on a different day, each lasting around 45 mins. These focused more on work style, behavioral questions and logistical details like commuting expectations.
Unfortunately, my experience with the team interviews wasn't as positive. One interviewer seemed unprepared and asked questions on the fly. When I asked about the team structure, she couldn’t provide a clear answer. The second interviewer joined late, rushed through the conversation, and frequently interrupted me making it hard to share complete responses. She also brought up internal team challenges and mentioned that many employees were leaving due to the return-to-office policy, then asked how I’d feel about that.
While I appreciated the chance to learn more about the role, the overall energy I received during the team interviews felt disconnected and tense. I didn’t walk away with confidence about team dynamics or culture. In hindsight, I'm grateful for the clarity this gave me, it helped me realize it might not have been the right fit.
Lastly, I also couldn’t help but notice that everyone I interacted with—from the recruiter to the hiring manager and both teammates—were from the same ethnic background (east asian) and I felt there might have been an unspoken cultural disconnect or bias in how I was engaged during the conversations. While I can’t speak to intent, the dynamic made the interviews feel uncomfortable and not as inclusive as I had hoped.