It was my first software developer interview, and I am very grateful to have had an interview with Arista Networks. However, there are some moments during the whole process that didn't sit well with me: 1) HR Recruiter was kind and respectful but was a little too open with how happy the software team were for my application. It made me very happy to hear that, but I have never encountered this before. 2) I was provided with a preamble of what to expect from the coding assessment, but the main things to look out for are: a) be familiar review GCC and GDB, and b) prioritize C coding review over C++ and understand how it is compiled at the machine level. I was led to believe that the software team were looking for someone with C++ experience with more experience in terms of coding software rather than dedicated firmware. Sadly, I was not prepared for most of the interview topics and made for some embarrassing questions on my part. 3) Surprisingly very little algorithm analysis. The interviewer even mentioned that this role was mainly for debugging purposes, which was not initially clarified or conveyed by the HR recruiter. I recommend prior to the coding assessment to ask the recruiter what the fundamentals of the role and what the team are looking for in a successful candidate; the recruiter was not forthcoming at all in providing essential information. Regardless, I was happy to have been acknowledge by a large company of my potential! This experience has made me understand how to better prioritize my preparation for successful interviews.