Context: I have 2.4 years of experience working with a product-based tech giant company, and recently, I've had a couple of disappointing interview experiences that made me rethink applying to certain companies.

Company: Lenskart | Role SSE

I interviewed with Lenskart this September, and during the final round which was supposed to be culture fit or normal HM round, things took a disappointing turn. After clearing the earlier stages, the hiring manager (HM) started asking irrelevant questions about older MySQL engines and the current stable versions of MySQL. These questions seemed disconnected from the role I was interviewing for and didn’t align with the technical skills or the scope of the position. It felt like the HM was more focused on trivial details rather than evaluating my relevant experience or problem-solving abilities. Then, he started smiling sarcastically and pushed for a low-level design (LLD) related to Stack Overflow in the last 15 minutes of the interview. The HM’s dismissive and unprofessional attitude made the whole experience feel rushed and unproductive. As expected, I received an automated rejection without any explanation. It was clear they didn’t value the candidate's time or effort.

Later, when I checked his LinkedIn profile, I saw that he had 20 years of experience in IT with education background Bcom, but most of his past companies were small-scale and had either closed down or failed—except for Lenskart. Based on his attitude, I wouldn't be surprised if his team faces similar challenges.

Company: Porter | Role SDE-II

I recenlty had another frustrating exoerince with Porter and the process was incredibly frustrating. I was supposed to interview with a Team Lead (TL) with 10+ years of experience. However, the interview was a disaster. The TL kept their camera off and mic muted throughout the conversation, only responding after multiple pings from my side. When speaking, they’d mute themselves again and pause for long stretches. Some time it seems like he was drunk or very bad at english. The communication was poor and disjointed. Though I completed all requirement given by him at last he answered in one word "OK". Despite the awkward interview, I received an automated rejection, with no follow-up or feedback. No one from HR answered my attempts to follow up. It was a waste of time, and I won't be applying to companies like Porter again.

P.S: Senior folk really want to have advice from you. As I'm preparing for my first job switch for months, how can I navigate dismissive or irrelevant questioning from hiring managers/ "Indian uncles" sitting at top of Hierarchy in Indian tech companies? Given the current situation, it seems like most good American companies aren’t hiring at the moment :(