I recently interviewed for a Senior Software Engineer position at Xero, and while the technical process itself was engaging, the overall experience was disappointing due to poor communication from HR.
Interview Process:
Technical Round (2 hours):
Given an existing solution and asked to add a feature.
Discussion on improvements, scalability, monitoring, and productionization of the solution.
Behavioral Round (1 hour):
Provided examples of wins and losses, conflict management, and general teamwork scenarios.
I felt that I excelled in both rounds, receiving positive signals throughout. However, despite this, I was later informed that I wasn’t selected—with no meaningful feedback provided. The rejection email even contained a broken scheduling link for feedback, making it clear that candidate experience is not a priority.
Final Thoughts:
Investing hours into a company’s interview process, performing well, and then being ghosted without any insights is disheartening. If Xero wants to attract top talent, they need to respect candidates' time and provide constructive feedback. Unfortunately, this experience makes their hiring process feel like a lost cause.
Would not recommend interviewing here unless they improve their candidate communication