Phenom Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I applied via LinkedIn DM and got invited to their hiring process, which was basically a one-day hackathon. The hackathon idea was pretty cool, but the execution was messy. It was supposed to start at 10:00 AM, but we arrived by 9:30 AM and it didn't kick off until about 11:00 AM because the VP and hiring team were late. So, over 45 candidates were waiting. We were split into groups of five and sent to different rooms. Round 1 was a bug hunt where everyone got different problems to solve without internet. Round 2 involved picking one of four system design problems and then doing the full design plus machine coding for each part. They allowed and even encouraged using AI tools like Cursor. Throughout, managers, HR, TAs, and engineers kept popping in, changing requirements, questioning designs, and disrupting things, making it hard to focus. The VP wasn't very approachable and made some awkward jokes. There was also a noticeable focus on cutting costs and reducing team size. The whole thing ran late, finishing at 7:00 PM, due to bad time management and internet issues. Food and drinks were provided. It was a stressful and disorganized experience, even though the hiring concept was interesting.

So, I had a pretty bad recruitment experience. Basically, if they couldn't match my expected salary, they just marked it as negative feedback instead of being upfront about their budget. The communication and coordination were also a mess. I was told I got the job after the onsite interviews, but then a different HR person called a few days later saying the feedback wasn't good. That felt really unprofessional and avoidable. It would have been way better if they'd just told me their salary limits from the start, instead of making me go through the whole hiring process. It felt like they were just trying to find people who'd accept less pay, which wastes everyone's time. They really need to sort out their process and how they communicate.

The interview process began with a first round consisting of 40 MCQs covering both technical and aptitude topics. This was followed by a second round, a group discussion. The third round was a face-to-face technical interview conducted offline. The next, fourth round was an online HR interview. Finally, there was a combined HR and Technical Round as the last stage.