The interview process overall had both good and disappointing aspects. The first DSA round was actually a very positive experience. The interviewer was professional, communicative, and created a comfortable environment for problem solving. The round focused on 1–2 medium-level DSA questions, and the discussion felt collaborative and technically meaningful rather than purely evaluative. The subsequent technical discussions around backend/distributed systems were also reasonably relevant to the role. However, the HM/Lead Engineer round was unfortunately not a great experience. The interviewer joined around 45 minutes late to the call and did not introduce himself or spend time understanding my background or projects before directly jumping into questions. The discussion quickly moved into designing a queueing system similar to AstroLokal, but throughout the interview the interviewer seemed largely disengaged. He was muted for significant portions of the discussion and appeared to be talking to someone else simultaneously. At times, it even felt like he may not have been actively listening while I was explaining my approach. The experience felt less like a collaborative technical discussion and more like a rushed evaluation. I completely understand that interviewers can have busy schedules, but basic engagement, professionalism, and candidate respect go a long way in creating a positive interview experience. Overall, the earlier rounds were technically valuable, but the HM round left a disappointing impression.