The HR and Senior Technical Writer were extremely professional, kind, and respectful during the assessment and initial discussion.
The process was structured: online assessment followed by interviews.
The online written test was interesting and relevant to the role (questions on cybersecurity, encryption, API documentation, etc.)
The Not-So-Good:
In the last round, the Director of Engineering reviewed my written assessment and pointed out errors in a very direct, almost dismissive tone.
I was actively listening, but under pressure and he continued to press on things I missed even while trying to answer.
When he asked what I could improve in my assessment, I presented a valid point, which he ignored and instead asked me to catch a grammatical error. He remarked, “someone with this much experience should’ve caught that”, and seemed clearly unimpressed that I didn’t spot the mistake while being observed.
He also asked if I had used an LLM for online assessment which felt accusatory despite completing the test honestly and independently in front of interviewer.
Toward the end, I asked about my candidacy. His response was cold the tone lacked courtesy.
He even commented that many people at V-Key are older, and rude, and that many Vietnamese colleagues don’t speak English well implying that candidates need to 'fit in' which I found a bit inappropriate to bring up in an interview.
Final Thought
While I appreciated the initial parts of the process, the final round felt cold, derogatory, and borderline discouraging. Feedback can be given with respect, especially to candidates who are showing up honestly and with interest in the role.
I left the interview unsure if the company culture encourages psychological safety, especially for newer team members.
