My initial encounter with Octopus Energy during the interview process was quite positive. Following the first technical interview, I was informed that a take-home task would be provided, allowing me the freedom to utilize any technology of my choice for a Frontend task, with the base setup being Next JS. Despite being presented with the liberty to choose my tools, I was given feedback upon submission that the code did not meet their expectations relative to my experience. This feedback primarily centered on three areas: design decisions, store management, and documentation.
I submitted the task and they said the code is not up to mark compared to my experience. The negative feedback was not understandable to me. Mostly three negative feedback.
- design decision
- store management
- documentation
The feedback regarding design decisions lacked specificity, leaving me uncertain about the desired improvements
Concerning store management, I was told that implement Redux or context to store cart quantity was expected. Even though the state was only used in one location. Given the absence of explicit instructions mandating the use of Redux/context, it seemed illogical to integrate it without a clear necessity. The task instruction "simple React app," did not align with these expectations.
In terms of documentation, the provided bootstrap included sufficient instructions for running and utilizing the application. Following development, I found no additional pertinent information to include. Despite this, the feedback provided solely cited a "lack of documentation" without further elaboration. The expectations regarding documentation remained unclear.
Overall, I found it challenging to accept the feedback provided. Investing my time and effort into the project, only to receive feedback that seemed arbitrary and disconnected from the task's objectives, was disappointing.