Following a coding test on HackerRank, I was invited to a video conference interview that seemed to go well. The next day I was notified through the recruiter that I was not what they were looking for. The feedback they provided him was that I did not have enough design experience. There was also a comment about lack of experience refactoring software/designs. This left me quite confused as the interview didn't really cover either concept. So, what happened? The recruiter. In preparation for the interview, the recruiter told me that "topics could cover their entire stack, from C# to deep in the database" and "[they will] challenge you with a few OOP style problems." He also mentioned that "it will be helpful to review the [provided] job spec", which was quite generic but did mention "C#, ASP.NET, MVC, SQL Server." Finally, he said to be ready to discuss the experience on my resume. And in fact, none of these topics were covered in the interview. The interviewer. Oddly, he asked no questions about the experience on my resume. Also, strangely, there were no OOP, C#, ASP.NET, MVC, or similar questions that the recruiter had suggested I be ready for. And the questions that were asked lacked context. For example, there was a question very much like, "Give an example of an algorithm you had to go back and rewrite and why?" Given the context laid forth by the recruiter and the job spec, I answered the question from a C#, class-level point-of-view. Feedback from the recruiter on this question following the interview was that I "seemed to lack the experience of performing a major refactor of an application." If the question had been given the correct context, I would have answered it differently. Maybe something like, "At an architectural or software design level, give an example of an algorithm you had to go back and rewrite and why?" I would have approached and answered this question much differently. And the majority, if not all, of the questions lacked such clarity. The interviewee (myself). As I'm sure you can conclude from above, it appears I answered the actual questions in the wrong context. And as much as I wanted to answer questions on C# generics, explain why a unique identifier is a bad choice for a primary key column, or discuss cross-cutting concerns in muti-layered architectures, the questions never went that way. To my surprise, the 60-minute-long interview lasted 30 mins with not a single question directed at my past work. Although my overall experience was not what I had hoped, there is some positive that can come from this...in the form of some advice. Advice for both kCura and future candidates. I myself have been interviewing candidates for well over a decade. Here are my suggestions for kCura interviewers: 1. If a primary goal is to determine someone's level of design experience, or any specific topic for that matter, then go ahead and mention that along with any such questions. Example, "I want to gage your level of software design experience. Can you give me some design pros and cons of a recent project you completed?" or better yet, go from the resume: "I see on your resume that you designed a centralized logging framework. Describe some pros and cons of its design." 2. If it’s clear you're not getting the answer your looking for, don't move on to the next question immediately. Instead, lead the interviewee a bit -- maybe they've unknowingly interpreted the question incorrectly. Give them an example of what you're looking for. 3. Walk thru the resume with the candidate, even if you didn't have time to review it in advance. Ask them to describe the projects listed. It will spawn new questions and give you a clearer picture of the candidate sitting before you. 4. If you've scheduled a 60-minute interview, use all 60 minutes. If you run out of questions, again, go back to the resume and ask the candidate to explain something in more detail. Show them they are worth the time. Advice for kCura candidates: 1. Don't assume the context of a question if it wasn't provided -- ask that the interviewer clarify. You may answer the question incorrectly and not know it, leading the interviewer to believe that you don't know the subject. 2. If the interviewer doesn't discuss your resume, see if you can bring it up. It's the document that was impressive enough to invite you in; they should be willing talk about it. kCura seems to be a good company. I hate to see them turn away potentially good candidates without realizing it. I hope my comments provide some insight and value.