We often prepare for interviews by polishing our CVs, grinding LeetCode, and rehearsing answers to “What’s your biggest weakness?”
But we rarely ta...
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This list brings back some memories (and not the good kind 😅).
It is so easy to ignore these flags when you just really want the offer, but looking back, every time I ignored my gut feeling during an interview, I paid for it later.
We often forget that we are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing us. Thanks for validating that feeling!
Exactly this 🙂
You can often feel it already during the interview. I honestly think I’ve never been wrong about that. Whenever the interview felt off, the job later turned out to be off too. And when it felt “just okay,” the company usually was just okay as well 😄
Our gut feeling picks up more than we sometimes want to admit. And you’re so right - we’re interviewing them too. Thanks for sharing this!
I think "gut feeling" is just experience processing data faster than our conscious brain can keep up.
You spot the micro-signals, the tired eyes, the chaotic energy, long before you can explain why.
The "just okay" trap is the real danger though. It is easy to get stuck in mediocrity for years because there aren't any screaming red flags to scare you away. 😊
Yes, I totally agree. That’s probably the whole essence of intuition: experience processing signals faster than our conscious brain can explain them 🙂
And honestly, “just okay” isn’t always that bad 😄 Especially if the pay is good and the environment is stable. Not every job has to be a life mission - sometimes “good enough” is perfectly fine for a season.
Great point about the mediocrity trap though - that’s very real 🙂
A boring job with good pay can actually be a feature not a bug. 😊Especially if you have a lot going on outside of work.
The trick is just knowing when that season is over so you don't wake up 5 years later totally obsolete.🙂
Sylwia, what you describe doesn’t surprise me at all — and what’s striking is that your writing almost makes us wish you had even more examples to share… even though every single one of these experiences is awful.
I’ve definitely lived through similar situations — and honestly, who in tech hasn’t at some point?
I’ve had companies insist on an in-person first interview while I was ~700km away from Paris, others asking me to travel for on-site coding tests (including well-known companies) only to completely ghost afterward. One even made me wait an hour before the interview, then asked me to stay on site while they reviewed my code — which was apparently “perfect” — and still never followed up. When I finally chased them, they told me that no response meant my application wasn’t worth pursuing… only to call back two days later because their cheaper hire (someone I happened to know) wasn’t working out.
I’ve also been asked deeply inappropriate questions about my private life, religion, or sexual orientation. Experiences like these inevitably change how you approach interviews.
These days, I still listen to what companies propose — but I also set my own interview conditions and boundaries. If the process doesn’t respect my time or professionalism, I simply decline and move on. It has made the whole experience far healthier and much more balanced.
These really do sound like horror stories 😅 Sadly, way too many of us in tech have at least a few like that.
And honestly, putting a candidate through multiple stages, assignments, travel, time investment… and then giving zero feedback or ghosting? That should almost be punishable by law 😄 Basic respect for someone’s time should be the minimum standard.
Your story about traveling reminded me of something too. Years ago (pre-COVID), one company offering a remote job still had a recruitment step that required traveling to Kraków — about 700 km from where I lived. I didn’t go in the end because I had sent out many CVs and had around five other offers to choose from at the time.
The funny part? Their CEO suggested I should spend 30% of my future time there on technical writing because he saw potential in me. I laughed it off back then… and now here I am, writing on DEV all the time. So maybe he was onto something after all 😄
You know what? The visionary saw a unicorn in you. Looking back, he was right!
Horror stories about interviews just keep coming and each one seems way worse than the last.
I’ve been on both sides of the table: as an interviewee and as an interviewer. Honestly, I’m not even sure which role is more stressful.
Some people seem to think that being the interviewer means being “in charge.” I’ve always hated that mindset. An interview is not power, it’s a responsibility - a huge responsibility. You might change someone’s career trajectory in a good or absolutely worst way.
As an interviewer, I’ve even confronted colleagues in the past who treated candidates unfairly or wanted to reject them immediately for completely absurd reasons. That kind of behavior does real damage not just to candidates, but to the company’s culture and reputation.
Everyone should pause for a moment and imagine themselves in the candidate’s place. Interviews are vulnerable moments. Behind every CV is a real person who prepared, stressed, and showed up hoping for a fair chance.
Being an interviewer is far more complex than just asking questions. It requires empathy, professionalism, psychology and self-awareness.
Thank you for this comment — I really appreciate it. I relate a lot to what you wrote, because I’ve also been on the interviewer side many times.
I still get stressed before interviews, and to be honest, it’s not my favorite part of the job. It’s a big topic on its own. I completely agree with you about empathy and the weight of making decisions about candidates.
The hardest situations for me are when someone is “in between” — not a clear yes, not a clear no. Those cases can stay in your head for a while, because you know your decision affects a real person.
I have to give credit to my current company here — they take this seriously and are careful about who becomes an interviewer. Technical skill alone isn’t enough. Social skills and empathy matter a lot too, because interviewers are also a company’s showcase.
You’re absolutely right: behind every CV there’s a real human being 🙂
When I was starting out as a junior developer with zero experience, I interviewed at a startup. They liked me and saw potential, but due to my lack of experience they hesistated. However it sounded very likely they were going to offer me some kind of internship. They continued to dangle this potential role for months on end before ghosting me. I learned the hard way to not rely on a single recruitment process but always have multiple processes ongoing to hedge your bets and not get emotionally attached to one single job application.
Yes - that’s a lesson many of us learn the hard way. I also realized years ago that it’s healthier to never get too attached to the idea of one specific company or role.
So many things in recruitment are outside our control. A recruiter (not even necessarily a technical one!) might just be having a bad day, be under pressure, or simply decide the “vibe” isn’t right 😅
Keeping multiple processes going is honestly the safest and sanest approach. It protects both your time and your emotions.
Thanks for sharing your story - I’m sure many juniors will relate to this one 🙏
Some companies are searching for unicorns, which are known to be phantasy creatures, and non-existent in real life.
Exactly 😄
And it’s also a bit suspicious when a company has the same role open all the time. It makes you wonder what’s really going on - do people leave that quickly, or are they just eternally waiting for a “perfect” unicorn to appear?
O Girl, this hit home. 😭
Last year, I had an interview where the CTO joined 20 minutes late, no apology, and said: 'Yeah, I was playing FIFA. So, tell me about yourself.'
I should have walked out then. But I didn't. Joined the company. Worst 6 months of my life.
Now my rule: How they treat you in the interview is how they'll treat you on the job.
Thanks for writing this — hope it saves someone! 🙏"
Wow… that’s honestly impressive in the worst possible way 😅 Some CTOs really manage to set the bar below ground level. This one especially handed you a red flag on a silver platter.
And sadly, it’s a common trait of empathetic people to rationalize it - “maybe they had a bad day,” “maybe it’s not that bad.” We try to explain their behavior instead of trusting our first impression.
"Exactly this! 😅
I once ignored similar red flags from a CTO — told myself 'maybe he's just having an off day.'
3 months later, I was the reason for everyone's off days. 🥲
Lesson learned:
How they show up on day 1 is how they'll show up forever. There's no 'bad day' — just bad personality.
Your comment hit way too close to home! 🙌"
Thank you so much, Richard - that really means a lot 🙂
And yes, absolutely - articles and comments are honestly one of the best sources of inspiration for writing. One good post can send you down a whole chain of ideas and reflections. That’s usually how it starts for me too.
I also read your post today about taking a step back from DEV for a while. I totally understand that decision - sometimes you just need to rebalance and focus elsewhere. But just so you know, we’ll be here waiting for you whenever you feel like coming back 🙂
I really appreciate your kind words, Sylwia. Your description of those long, drawn-out interview processes and companies not treating candidates with respect really resonated with me. It's like you're speaking directly from my own experiences. Thank you for sharing your story and validating what I've been through - it's nice to know I'm not alone.
I’m really glad it resonated with you - and yes, you’re definitely not alone in this.
Unfortunately, long processes and lack of respect happen more often than they should. But the good news is that there are also many truly professional, respectful companies out there.
I really hope your next experience is with one of those 🙂
This hit home. One red flag I learned the hard way is when they can’t clearly explain the role or keep changing expectations in each round. I once went through 4 rounds and still didn’t know what I’d actually be building. I ignored that sign, joined, and it turned out exactly the same inside — constant confusion. Now I treat the interview process as a preview of the real job.
Exactly - that’s a huge red flag. If they can’t clearly explain the role during interviews, it usually means the role isn’t clear internally either.
Unless someone is totally fine with doing a landing page one day and Java backend the next 😄 then maybe it’s a feature, not a bug.
But yes - the interview process really is a preview of everyday life in the company.
Companies routinely exploit candidates through take-home assignments.
They often assign work that directly overlaps with their current projects or upcoming client deliverables. Instead of evaluating problem-solving ability, these assignments become a mechanism to extract free labor.
This practice peaked during COVID, when hiring volumes were high and candidates were desperate. Many companies leveraged that imbalance to maximize unpaid output under the guise of assessment.
A legitimate take-home test is small, synthetic, and clearly disconnected from production. Anything else is a red flag.
this is the horror story of exploitation through take-away assignment
Incident 1:
During peak COVID (May–July 2020) I was transitioning into tech industry as front-end developer. After many rejections, I finally started getting interviews. One company gave me a complex take-home: a landing page with heavy animations and micro-interactions. I delivered, zipped the code, shared it. HR confirmed receipt, CC’d the manager, and the manager replied: “I’ll review and provide feedback soon.”
Then silence. HR stopped responding. Weeks later, I checked their website and saw the same landing page live as part of a client project. My code wasn’t complete, but it was clearly salvaged.
Incident 2:
Another company. Same pattern. Take-home assignment → shortlisted → interview → offer. They lowballed me ~60% below a fresher package and added a 1-year bond. I accepted out of desperation.
On day 1 standup, a teammate shared screen. He was using my take-home assignment code inside their production project.
I was terminated on day 3.
I’m honestly so sorry you went through this. That’s not just a red flag - that’s straight-up exploitation.
I’ve definitely seen similar patterns with take-home assignments. Sometimes they were presented as “just a small task, maybe three hours, one evening”… and then it turned out to be basically a full mini-application.
In my case, what often “saved” me was pure laziness 😅 If something looked too big, too vague, or suspiciously close to real production work, I simply didn’t feel like doing it. I was lucky to have that choice.
But what about people who are desperately looking for a job? That’s the hard part. When you really need an offer, it’s much harder to say no - and unfortunately some companies know that.
Thank you for sharing this. Stories like yours are important, even if they’re painful.
I got invited to the company office in my city ( i'm from a village ) for technical interview.
When i went there, it was a live coding test on their system. I was asked to implement a feature for a SaaS app for payments using stripe connect. Companies would come attach or create their accounts, configure fees and fee payment options, as well as saas company will get their commission etc.
I was asked to impalement it all on the sublime text in Core PHP, no framework etc except stripe package on Xampp. I implemented, they asked to handle multiple use cases and i implemented that as well.
Then they asked me if i can use my own test stripe credentials as they couldn't give me one due to security concerns and i used mine. Imagine that haha. But i was desperate to get job as i got layed off and i had just become father of a cute baby girl so needed job.
Finished everything before anyone else ( who seemed to be doing the same test i believe in the room ), they tested it by using their own stripe accounts and stuff and i was asked to go back to HR.
On my way out, HR escorted me saying the CTO was impressed with my skills but he didn't like i switched 3 companies in my 8+ years of career. So it gave bad impression but they'll let me know if i got selected for next round.
Then nothing, i contacted and was told i was not selected but given the feedback i should try to go to a bigger city as my skills were impressive.
In the end i got a remote job with a very amazing and helpful team and doing fine now.
First of all - I’m really happy you eventually found a good remote team and a project that works for you 🙂 That’s the best ending to this story.
And wow… that recruitment process really sounds like pure absurdity. While reading, I was honestly just waiting for the plot twist where they connect your Stripe account straight to production 😂
Using your own credentials because they couldn’t provide test ones is wild. And after all that work, rejecting someone for changing three companies in eight years… that’s just crazy.
Anyway, looks like you ended up in a much better place - sometimes the weirdest interviews save us from the wrong companies 🙂
The tech interview topic is a big one, everyone who’s been through recruitment could talk about it for ages 🙂
Reading about the Total Surveillance Mode part was really interesting to me. I did a technical assignment with exactly the same settings (camera on all the time, fully recorded). At first I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to do the task, it felt a bit creepy 🙂 Can you imagine someone actually sitting there later and watching all those long, probably boring recordings of developers writing code? 😅 Sounds like a weird task to have, honestly 🙂
Also, a small tip for coding tasks on online platforms, maybe someone finds it useful: be careful with accidental infinite loops (like not providing a dependency array in useEffect in a React app). An accidental infinite loop can freeze the browser and you might lose time or even the whole session. Happened to me once 😅
Hahaha maybe it’s not a human watching those recordings at all… maybe AI is analyzing them now 🤣 You’re not allowed to use AI, but the company totally can - sounds fair, right? 😄
And your tip about infinite loops is absolute gold! Seriously - that’s the kind of real-life advice nobody mentions until it happens to you once and you never forget it again 😅
Thanks for sharing this, I’m sure it will save someone’s nerves (and browser tab).
The year-long recruitment story hits close to home. I went through a 4-month process with a well-known company once — 6 rounds total — only to get ghosted after the final interview. No rejection, no feedback, just silence. I followed up twice and got "we're still deciding." The worst part is you invest real emotional energy into these processes, and the opportunity cost of not interviewing elsewhere is massive. One pattern I've noticed: companies that can't run a clean interview process usually can't run clean internal processes either. The interview IS the product demo for the company culture.
Honestly, don’t be surprised if they reach out again in a few months 😄 Sometimes these processes come back from the dead when you least expect it.
And yes - you’re absolutely right. It’s really important not to get emotionally attached to a single recruitment process. Waiting that long only makes sense when you already have a good job and you’re just exploring options, not depending on that one outcome.
Ha, that's so true — zombie offers are real! 😄 Good reminder to keep moving and not wait on any single process. Thanks for the perspective 🙏
I got rejected once because I asked if having 6 week long sprints worked well for them :P
Oh and one time I got rejected because they asked me how I would handle Chinese characters or right to left text and I said I did not encounter that problem yet and that I would go to stackoverflow to find a good solution. They were also very much against using 3rd party packages, they wrote all their code themselves lol
Honestly, those are the best kinds of rejections 😄 At least you don’t have to suffer later working in a place like that.
Hearing that an interviewer asked if someone was helping the candidate is shocking. It reminds us that an interview goes both ways: we are also checking if the company is a good place to work. I will definitely remember these tips when I look for jobs in the future
Hi Sylwia,
nothing to tell from my side, anything that would challenge what you wrote above :)
it was very interesting to read these, thanks.
I wonder, if the number of these bad samples increases when the job market diminishes?
Sylwia Laskowska thanks to share these histories. I need to keep these in mind because I usually felt nervous when I interviewed.