Interview Process: Frustrating and Unprofessional
I recently interviewed with Zepto for a Tech Lead role, and the experience was extremely frustrating due to the lack of professionalism in the later stages of the process. Here's a detailed breakdown of the interview rounds:
First Round: This round included JavaScript and React basics, with questions around promises, the event loop, closures, etc. The interview lasted 1.5 hours, and I cleared it successfully.
Second Round: This round focused on High-Level Design (HLD) and Low-Level Design (LLD). I was given a task to implement multiple progress bars and ensure only five run at a time, resuming paused bars as others complete. This interview also lasted 1.5 hours, and I completed the task successfully.
Third Round: This was with the Engineering Manager and lasted 1.5 hours. It involved questions about my resume, experience, and another HLD task to implement a chat window that can be attached to any website. I cleared this round as well.
After successfully completing these rounds, the recruiter became unreachable. A week later, the recruiter called to set up a Hiring Manager (HM) call, which was an hour-long discussion involving behavioral questions and how processes work in my current company. I felt I made a good impression during this discussion.
However, considering the pause in the interview process and the recruiter's unavailability, I suspected they might ghost me. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened. It felt like the recruiter was inflating the candidate numbers rather than genuinely moving forward with the hiring process.
Pros:
The technical rounds were thorough and challenging, providing a good assessment of skills.
Cons:
The recruiter was unresponsive after initial rounds.
Unprofessional handling of the final stages of the interview process.
Felt like the recruiter was inflating candidate numbers rather than genuinely progressing candidates.
Overall, my experience with Zepto was marked by frustration and unprofessionalism in the later stages. Potential candidates should be cautious and prepared for potential ghosting or lack of communication from the recruitment team.