Samtec Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

There were two interviews. The first was a technical one with some architect level folks. The second was with the app team, a mix of technical and behavioral. I felt pretty good about how I did. In the more technical interview, I answered all the technical questions correctly or acceptably, except for one where I initially misunderstood it, but I got it right after they clarified. It seemed to go really well. The app team interview, though, asked really basic questions, like stuff a junior dev would know, such as the difference between overloaded and overridden and the purpose of the virtual keyword. They confirmed my answers were correct. But then, two days later, they told me they were passing because I lacked technical skills. I was shocked. I feel like they should give you a clear signal if you didn't do well before you leave. Maybe they're not being fully honest, or they're rejecting me for something on my resume or from other questions they didn't actually explore properly. It seems like 'lack of technical skills' is becoming a go-to excuse for rejections because it's so vague. If people take time off work to interview, the least companies could do is be more upfront about why it didn't work out.

The interview started with a tech screening where the enterprise architect mostly talked about himself and the company's positive aspects. It was an unstructured chat with no clear direction. The next stage involved the same architect and another one, continuing the same unstructured and aimless process, which felt awkward. One architect barely spoke and just stared. They primarily focused on scrutinizing your resume, trying to catch you out by nitpicking details they lacked context on. It seemed they hadn't thoroughly read the resumes and were just looking for things to criticize. They came across as condescending and smug about their positions, aiming to create a tense atmosphere to make candidates uncomfortable and assert dominance. This happened right after they boasted about the company's great culture and friendly staff, which contrasted with the vibe from everyone involved in the interview process. Based on this experience, they don't seem like pleasant colleagues. It was easily one of the top 3 worst interviews I've ever had.

An interview review typically includes feedback on the interview process, covering aspects such as the difficulty of questions, interviewer behavior, response expectations, and overall experience. It may highlight the professionalism of the interviewers, the clarity of job role explanations, and the relevance of the questions asked. Candidates often share insights on the company’s culture, communication speed, and whether they felt valued or rushed. Reviews can be positive, negative, or neutral, helping future applicants prepare by understanding common patterns and expectations within the hiring process.