SynergisticIT Java Developer Interview Questions
& Process

SynergisticIT is a technical recruiter that claims to place you with a company after you pass their coding challenges. But actually, they give you tough challenges that are way harder than your stated level (especially for juniors/beginners) hoping you'll fail so they can push their pricey coding bootcamp. I found them on Google and emailed my resume directly to the recruiter contact. The process started with a call asking about my knowledge of the company and when I could do a quick 15-min phone screening to test my technical skills in the languages I know. The next Monday, I had the screening with questions starting basic and moving to intermediate. The day after, I got an email saying I'd advance to the next stage: a 90-minute coding challenge. I was upfront about being fresh out of a 3-month full-time bootcamp and having only a month of internship experience, making me very junior. The coding challenge link arrived, and I was stunned by the first question in Java, a language I hadn't studied, and two other intermediate-to-advanced problems more suited for mid-to-senior developers. I couldn't finish and emailed the recruiter. I also told them I wasn't interested in their $25k bootcamp (with a $10k down payment) since I'd already finished one. Their reply said these were 'basic questions' and 'some do very well.' The recruiter implied I wasted money on my bootcamp because it didn't prepare me for these questions, then pitched their bootcamp as a job guarantee. I wish I'd checked Glassdoor first to avoid this time sink! The recruiter was shady, acting like a salesperson pushing their bootcamp. Avoid if you're a junior/entry-level developer.

I applied online, and then a recruiter gave me a call to ask about my background. We talked about their policies on training, deposit, and marketing, which seemed pretty important to them. After that, I had a phone interview with the manager. We went over my background again, and then they asked me some core Java and JSP questions.

I had an introductory phone call with a recruiter from SynergisticIT. They explained their business, the training they offer, and the placement process post-training. The recruiter was friendly but somewhat difficult to understand and quite persistent, even when I expressed disinterest. The training program's location in the Bay Area and their placement strategy around the Bay Area sounded appealing. However, the $25k training fee is a significant drawback, especially since other companies with similar models don't charge for training and actually pay trainees.