Reached the final on-site stage, which included a technical interview and a planned meeting with the CTO.
The recruiting process up to that point was positive—the recruiter was responsive and professional, and both engineers I met during earlier rounds were approachable and respectful.
However, the on-site experience was inconsistent with expectations. The technical interview was intended to be conducted with an engineer, followed by a separate discussion with the CTO. Instead, the CTO joined midway through the technical session, appeared disengaged, and did not participate in the initial introduction. During the exercise, I made a minor syntax error; although the overall approach and solution were optimal, I was advised to use AI tools to explore alternatives.
When I referenced the planned follow-up conversation, I was informed that there would be no separate meeting, and the interview was concluded abruptly with general advice to continue practicing.
Overall, the experience felt disjointed and somewhat unprofessional, particularly given the lack of structure and deviation from the communicated interview process.