I recently attended an interview for the Senior Manager, Data Engineering position, which was described as a hybrid technical and management role. Unfortunately, the entire experience was extremely disappointing. The questions asked were mostly centered around production support tasks, which had little to do with what was outlined in the job description. There was a clear and unacceptable mismatch between the responsibilities advertised and the questions actually asked in the interview.
Although a few technical questions on cloud technologies and use cases were included, the hiring manager seemed rigidly fixated on only one “correct” answer. This unwillingness to acknowledge that multiple valid solution approaches exist made the discussion unnecessarily frustrating and unproductive. His attitude suggested he believed his perspective was the only one that mattered, which came across as arrogant and dismissive.
The interaction around Spark versions was equally unprofessional. When I explained my experience with earlier versions of Spark, the hiring manager responded in a condescending tone, implying that I was still “stuck” using outdated technology, rather than recognizing that different environments evolve at different paces.
Moreover, the position is based in the USA, yet the hiring manager interviewing me was offshore. The initial interview was scheduled, but he did not show up, and the recruiter had to cancel and reschedule. During the second attempt, he joined 15 minutes late, further demonstrating a lack of professionalism and respect for the candidate’s time.
Overall, the entire interview process felt disorganized, misaligned, and unprofessional, leaving a very negative impression of the hiring process and the leadership involved.