Recruiter Call An initial conversation with a recruiter to discuss your background, the role, expectations, and practical details such as salary range and availability. Technical Interview A technical session focused on assessing your programming skills, problem-solving ability, and relevant experience. This may include live coding, system design, or reviewing code. Team & Manager Interview A final call with the team members and the hiring manager to evaluate cultural fit, collaboration style, and how you approach real-world challenges. This is also a chance to ask questions about the team and the role.

I typically don’t post reviews, but this Semrush (german part of Enterprise Solutions Unit) experience was astonishingly bad and worth explaining. Pros: Chat went on pretty smoothly during the interview, which made me think that everything was well-coordinated. Cons: Unprofessional Hiring Procedure: The interview process kicked off with ordinary HR screening and it then followed by 2 hours of Go assignment. But the subsequent technical interview was not up to the tasks. Interviewed by Unskilled Programmers: Although I applied for a post of Sr. Software Engineer, the persons who interviewed me were recent graduates engineers who have worked for only few years. This raised doubts about their competence in assessing senior candidates’ technical skills. Rude and Disrespectful Attitude: In the course of the process, one of them noticed that he was bored and kept looking at his phone without minding what I was saying. An interviewer even smirked as I explained a technical concept which felt like an insult. When seeking clarifications on a question they asked using incorrect grammar, their tone had a tinge of condescension making it obvious that they did not want to engage in meaningful conversation with me. Misleading Communication: I had a very strong feeling that my skills and experience were an excellent fit for the position during the interview. The interviewers told me directly that he would be contacting me with further steps by "tomorrow". Nevertheless, this assurance turned out to be false. Unprofessionalism: After 10 days of silence, I only received a non-specific rejection email after following up with HR. In general, the whole process appeared unprofessional, immature and inconsistent with direct and clear communication usually associated with German business culture. Advice to Management: Make sure that the interviewers are well-experienced to evaluate senior-level applicants and conduct interviews professionally. The questions posed in an interview should be related to the role being filled and test practical ability rather than just theoretical understanding. It is important to be open and honest when communicating, especially on what comes next. Offering false hope is unprofessional and can ruin a candidate’s perception of the organization. This was an extremely disappointing encounter in general and I wish that these pointers could be taken into account by the company so as to improve their future hiring processes.