Cleared the initial HackerRank round. For the next round, I was asked to travel to the office, but the interview was conducted VIRTUALLY because the interviewers were working remotely. The candidate was required to sit in the office only for proctoring. The same setup could have been done remotely with multiple camera checks, making the office visit unnecessary. Only one technical question was asked, and the interview was ended immediately after that, resulting in rejection. For a senior role, judging a candidate based on a single question-after requiring travel-felt unreasonable and inefficient. I would suggest that, ask them to sponsor the tickets. If physical presence is mandatory, the company should consider sponsoring or reimbursing travel expenses.

I recently interviewed at Publicis Sapient for a Java Full Stack Developer role (4+ YOE) and wanted to share my experience for others considering applying. **The Interview Process:** Round 1 was a Java backend round, conducted virtually — this went well and I cleared it. Round 2 is where things got frustrating. I was asked to travel to their Gurgaon office, only to be seated there and made to attend a *virtual* interview. If the round was going to be virtual anyway, why require the candidate to travel all the way to the office? This felt like a complete waste of time and showed poor planning on the company's part. The second round itself was React-based and went well — I was confident I had cleared it. **The Aftermath:** A few hours after the interview, the HR reached out to say that the Gurgaon positions had been filled and they now had an opening only in Bangalore. I had clearly communicated from the start that I was looking for opportunities within the Delhi-NCR region only. This was a complete disregard for the candidate's time and preferences. **Overall:** The interview process lacked basic coordination and respect for the candidate's time. Making someone travel to an office for a virtual round, and then switching locations after the interview is done, is unprofessional. I had also heard from multiple people that layoffs were ongoing at the company — so perhaps it's worth doing your research before investing time in their process. Would not recommend going through this process unless you're fully flexible on location and have time to spare.