The effort-to-reward ratio in hiring has completely detached from reality. I have signed full-time offers with less scrutiny than this temp gig demanded.
Zomato · ghostedProcess moved fast at first, machine coding (design a cab-booking-ish dispatcher), a good design discussion, felt strong. Then the recruiter stopped replying. No reject, no offer, just gone. Posting the rounds so at least the prep helps someone even if the closure never came for…
The silence after a strong loop is the worst kind. Sorry, that stings.
HCLTech"No pressure, enjoy your holiday!" followed by "just when you get a sec" messages every four hours. Approved leave with an asterisk is not leave, it is remote work with worse wifi.
MicrosoftSteadier stock, less rollercoaster than the FAANG peers, annual refreshers matter more here than the joining grant. If work-life balance is your priority the tradeoff can be worth a slightly lower headline number.
CiscoTo make it all the way to the last round and then just... nothing. If I was close enough to interview four times, I was close enough for one email. The final-round ghost is the worst tier of ghost.
GoogleGlowing feedback in one meeting, role eliminated in the next. It was never about performance, it was a headcount spreadsheet. Do not tie your self-worth to a review that a reorg can overrule overnight.
You've reached the Mariana Trench. That's everything for now.