Everforth Apex Systems Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

This was a really bad experience with a recruiter from Apex Systems. The communication was all over the place and unprofessional from the beginning. They sent me a job description that seemed to fit my skills, so I sent my CV. But then during a phone call, I found out it was actually a senior role, which they never mentioned in the description, wasting my time. Then, the recruiter kept calling without leaving messages or emails, so I didn't even know who it was. I called back, no answer. I emailed to set up a time, no response. But they kept calling anyway. When we finally talked, they just said my CV wasn't going to be considered because I wasn't senior enough. I was okay with that, but when I called back later to ask some questions, it was clear they were confused and not paying attention. The recruiter mixed up what I was asking, kept bringing up a role we'd already decided wasn't a fit, and didn't seem to follow along. I gave some feedback: send rejection updates by email, not random calls, and include required experience in job descriptions to save everyone time. Instead of listening, the recruiter got cold and started asking about my CV gaps in a weird, judgmental way, even though it wasn't relevant to why I didn't get the role. The call ended super abruptly and unprofessionally. After I explained my side, the recruiter just said, 'Okay, what I will do is that I will not contact you again,' and hung up. It was a total lack of basic communication, no transparency in the job description, and they couldn't handle feedback. Would I recommend them? Nope. The communication problems and unprofessionalism made this a terrible experience.

I had an HR screening call where they described the role well. After that, I had a technical interview that involved a coding project where I needed to adjust existing code and write tests. The code was provided via a link in the interview invitation, but I didn't realize it was downloadable beforehand. HR didn't mention it in the email, which is unusual as access is typically granted during the interview. The main focus was on TDD, which I found challenging given I wasn't familiar with the code or business context. I only saw the code 20 minutes before the interview, and I had to quickly set up the tools and build it. I ended up using a BDD style because the existing code for data preparation and validation didn't align with typical isolated unit testing with mocks. They gave me immediate feedback on my strengths and weaknesses, and the interview was generally professional with a good review. Unfortunately, my application was rejected, likely due to budget constraints, though that's unverified. HR asked me to justify my hourly rate, and I suspect that with rising loan interest rates, companies are cutting costs by hiring experienced but lower-paid employees. The IT market is stagnant, leading to layoffs and a focus on cost savings. Competition for hybrid roles, price dumping, and actions taken for investor reassurance rather than growth are also factors. My contacts in IT management confirm this trend. I'm leaving a neutral review because the interviews, despite positive aspects, were unsuccessful for me.

The interview process for a Software QA Engineer usually kicks off with a phone screen, followed by a technical test that might involve manual or automation testing. After that, you'll likely have one or more chats with QA leads or other team members. They'll be looking at how you write test cases, your debugging skills, your familiarity with tools like Selenium or JIRA, and how you approach problems. They also check out your soft skills and if you'd be a good fit for the team.