The process moved quickly. After an initial recruiter conversation, my resume was reviewed by the hiring manager and I was advanced directly to the technical interview without a hiring manager interview. Communication from the recruiter was prompt, and the interview process was clearly explained. The coding interview was collaborative, and the interviewer encouraged me to explain my thought process and ask clarifying questions. Although I wasn't able to complete the solution in time, the interviewer was professional and the discussion was constructive. One aspect that stood out was the role alignment. I wasn't provided with the job description before the interview, and after learning more about the position, it became clear that it focused heavily on systems software, embedded/Linux environments, hardware integration, and autonomous vessels. During the interview, the interviewer also commented that my background appeared to align more closely with one of the company's cloud software engineering roles than with the position I was interviewing for. In hindsight, I think a role with a stronger backend/cloud focus would have been a better match for my experience.