Liquibase interview questions

I applied through the company's career website. The process was composed of 5 steps: 1. Initial approach with the recruiter to discuss the conditions of the role, in which the recruiter mentioned the salary offering, and which I confirmed multiple times. The recruiter clarified that the company was looking for a strong senior engineer with good leadership qualities. 2. Interview with the hiring manager, I was asked several questions about my experience in the Java ecosystem and previous projects and roles I have worked on. Pretty normal conversation with a fellow senior engineer. 3. An online Java/SQL test via TestDome. It was a pretty straightforward test with valid and uncomplicated questions. 4. An interview with the VP of Engineering to talk about my approach to the role, how I have contributed in previous roles, and how I have used AI technologies to accelerate and improve my performance in such roles. The VP in question was very polite, and I feel this was a very good conversation to gain insight into how the engineering unit operates. After this step, the recruiter mentioned that they made a mistake with the salary offering and stated they could only pay as much as half of the original offer. Understandably, I stated that I verified the numbers multiple times with them, and it was extremely unprofessional to change the offering so deep into the interview process. Nonetheless, I compromised and asked if I could be paid a lower rate, and the recruiter immediately stated that this was no problem and we could move to the final step. 5. An interview with the product manager of the products in question, for which the role would be developed. This was a fast-paced 30-minute barrage of questions from the product manager, asking how to deal with AI contributions from teammates, specifics about product features I've built in past roles, etc. I felt this interview also went well, but the product manager stated that even though we ran out of time, there were other questions they couldn't ask me. I never felt pressured on time or to provide answers during the session, so it was odd to me to hear that we ran out of time when it was never clarified that I needed to be mindful of the number of questions and the remaining available time. After I completed all steps, I got radio silence from the recruiter. This was weird to me since, until then, all steps were coordinated and progressed quickly and with a refreshing celerity that other companies usually don't have. I wrote to them requesting clarification for the next steps, and I got a reply that I should get an update within one week. So another week after that, with no updates from the recruiter again, I wrote again, looking forward to hearing an update with a final decision soon. The next day, I got a very generic reply stating that I was rejected from the position since the company preferred to go with other candidates, with no specifics as to why that decision was made. Disappointed, I wrote asking sincere feedback on what went wrong, but the recruiter didn't dignify me with a proper response as to why I was rejected. The whole experience was a massive waste of time (more than 1 month across all steps), leaving me extremely suspicious that I was rejected due to the renegotiated salary rate not being viable. To others who consider interviewing with this company, here's my advice: Be wary that recruiters may be unprofessional about the proposed salary rates, and even though the interview process is not that difficult, they may waste your time if they feel like it, with no proper consideration for the candidate. I assumed that this company was serious based on my initial impressions, but in the end, I was proven wrong by their whole attitude.

There were multiple rounds in the interview process as it was outlined to me. I only experienced the first four: 1) Recruiter screen - The recruiter asked general questions about my experience, interest in Liquibase, etc. Very standard. They were very polite. 2) Hiring manager interview - My meeting with the hiring manager was very nice. They were on-time, respectful, and very interested in my experience. I was able to get answers to many of my questions about the company and the support team. At this point, though, it started to sound a lot like "you are expected to be available 24/7 for on-call issues" which was a red flag, but I didn't want to withdraw until I understood more about their support operations. 3) Technical interview - This was conducted by the hiring manager, and two senior engineers. It included a slide deck presentation about the Liquibase product to demonstrate an understanding, as well as answering several questions about the product, and an example customer scenario. This went fantastic. Liquibase is a very easy product to learn, so this was a breeze, and the people I interviewed with were exceptionally kind and engaged, which made the next step all the more surprising. 4) Senior leader interview - This one was interesting, and really drove me away from the company. During the interview, the VP I was speaking to asked many intrusive, personal, and offensive questions. It was bizarre. He was also several minutes late to the interview, and throughout the interview he frequently made odd, hostile remarks about hypothetical "bad candidates," like saying that it's only scheduled for X minutes, even though he has a full hour, in case he doesn't like the candidate. It's really uncomfortable to listen to someone throw around their accomplishments while simultaneously speaking so poorly of others. It did not feel like a friendly culture. So much for "No Punks, No Jerks." - The senior leader also talked about how they want an "exit" for the company. It really didn't seem like there was a long-term vision, and when I asked about an upcoming SaaS offering, they didn't seem very excited to talk about it. This was another huge red flag. 5) CEO interview - If the VP likes you enough, I guess, you get an interview with the CEO. I didn't get that far. Overall, the process was pretty good. I had already checked out Liquibase's reviews on Glassdoor and was very concerned. But, I didn't want to form opinions based on feedback from potentially frustrated folks who might be biased. However, after having interacted with several individuals in the company, including a senior leader, I am inclined to believe that the feedback on Glassdoor is legitimate. Do your research. My advice to Liquibase: Don't act so hostile during interviews. It seemed like the leader I spoke to had a chip on their shoulder. And don't show up to a 4th round interview late and wearing a hoodie.