I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Ciklum (Prague)
Interview
In my case the first contact was via web recruitment platform. Then phone call with HR, interview in CN Group office and a brief technical call with 2 senior developers (representing 2 projects I could choose from). In the end I was invited to meet my future team and see developer's office and some project code. I had a good feeling about HR lady, Java department boss and my colleagues too.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Overall Java / Spring knowledge. Use cases for NoSQL DBs like Mongo. Memory management in Java.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Ciklum in Aug 2025
Interview
I was asked about a couple of past projects and then directed to a link for some simple find max questions but using Stream API. I explained the approach I will take and when noticing I don't even have code assist, I ask to be able to google the API since I didn't remember the map reduce specs for it. The interviewer laughed with scorn at me saying that if I need to google a solution as simple as that one he will end the interview right there. I explained I didn't have all the API in my head, and then he mentioned I may use Java docs. But the big red flag of laughing with scorn and playing the abort interview card was enough for me. I asked him if he really thinks I would want at that point to work with an interviewer that mocks the interviewee.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Find max value of a couple of streams only using stream API without collecting the data to any structure.
I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Ciklum
Interview
I went through three stages of interviews, all of which went well and included positive feedback from the interviewers. However, after nearly two months, I still haven't received any follow-up or final decision.
Throughout the process, communication with HR felt somewhat forced and unenthusiastic. The HR representative seemed disengaged, which negatively impacted the overall experience.
The company should communicate more transparently and respectfully with candidates—especially after multiple interview stages—and acknowledge the time and effort people sacrifice for the opportunity.