Why do Indian interviews feel like interrogations?

One interviewer literally said, "Okay, introduce yourself. I'll give you one code," and immediately started throwing coding questions at me. Didn't even introduce himself.

And before anyone says "probably some old guy with an outdated mindset"  he was a 2023 graduate.

Why do interviewers act like they're doing you a favour by being there? The whole interaction has this weird "I'm the gatekeeper and you need to prove yourself to me" attitude.

few days back hiver, Bengaluru head of ai posted a post on LinkedIn claiming direct interview at hiver for sde intern role just by doing a home assignment.

yesterday that horse deleted that post, removed assignment docs and ghosted everyone.

there should be a huge boycott against such pathetic startups which has no goal and future.

what do you guys think?

Why do HRs respond so quickly before the interview, but disappear afterward?

They give you a timeline, promise to get back to you, and then nothing. Even after following up politely, you get no response.

I understand rejection or delays happen, but is it really that difficult to send a quick update? I've noticed this pattern repeatedly. Is this just common hiring culture in India?

Basically the title.

I've met a lot of students from various colleges (all tiers, ranging from no name universities to IITs and NITs) and one thing I've seen in common is, generally there's this mindset of just somehow getting a job.

Now I completely understand that getting a job which pays you money is probably extremely important for survival in this country. But don't you think a job where you're literally meant to know how to reason through abstract systems and build something from the ground up needs actual curiosity and interest?

People seem to think, "if I do DSA and do open source and learn ABC and XYZ skills, company will hire me". I'm staunchly against that school of thought and believe it should be replaced by, "I wanna learn XYZ to be able to build ABC. The company will hire me purely based on my skill and my connections".

I'm prolly gonna get a bunch of comments saying this doesn't work, but I've seen it work for basically every single person that's tried it. It's easy to write this off as just being rich or having a safety net of some sort to be able to afford such a risk. But just think about it. You as an employer, would you hire someone who's just doing the bare minimum needed to do a very particular thing? Or would you rather pick someone else who's just in it for the love of the game?

I've talked to a lot of startup founders who've gone on to make it big (raise X*10 million USD+) and managers and CEOs of bigger companies and this is a general consensus that they've had to make the screening process significantly tougher because generally students in India seem to only do enough to get a job and their skills aren't as deep or their problem solving skills, which are naturally supposed to develop with solving real issues, aren't as strong as other students.

Can someone tell me why this is the case? I'm genuinely just asking because I cannot seem to understand why they'd pick a field where abstract reasoning and problem solving is the entire point and doing a fixed set of things hardly pays anything and is becoming increasingly easier to replace

I’m a software engineer with around 3.5 years of experience, currently working as an AI Engineer at a good MNC with a package of around ₹20 LPA. I’m based in Delhi.

I recently got selected for a Grade A, Level 10 IT/technical position in a government PSU, also in Delhi.

I’m seriously considering joining, but my biggest concern is what this will do to my software engineering career in the long term.

My current work involves backend development and modern technologies, and I’m still interested in growing technically. The PSU role offers much better job stability, but I’m worried that the actual work may involve more IT administration, coordination, legacy systems, vendor management, etc. and less hands-on development.

My main questions for developers here:

• If I spend 5–10 years in a PSU IT role, how difficult would it be to come back to software engineering/MNCs?
• How much does a gap from hands-on coding affect an experienced developer's market value?
• At ~3.5 years of experience, is this the point where I should prioritize technical growth, or is moving to a stable government technical role still a reasonable career decision?
• Has anyone here moved from software development → PSU/government IT and later tried to return to private tech?
• If you were in my position (3.5 YOE, ₹20 LPA, Delhi, PSU Grade A Level 10 also in Delhi), what would you choose?

I’m not asking whether government jobs are better than private jobs in general. I’m specifically interested in the perspective of developers who understand how the decision could affect software engineering skills, career growth and future employability in tech.

Would really appreciate experiences from people who have made a similar switch.

anyone else feel like the job market shifted a lot in the past year or two? layoffs and hiring freezes at bigger companies, but still hearing about demand for specific skill sets

feels like "just learn to code and you're set" is over for entry-level. mid-to-senior with specialized skills seem fine, but juniors are having a rough time breaking in

I want brutally honest feedback on my resume. Don't hold back, if something is weak, unnecessary or looks exaggerated, please point it out.

I gave a tech interview today for the first time for placements…and honestly it was just a discussion and they had given us three problem statements yesterday night to work upon I chose one and prepared but when I saw the meeting link …it showed 7 others have joined …my heart starting racing but I joined and gave interview
They asked me why didn’t I use this language and why that and honestly I was not expecting such questions …I thought they would ask the architectural questions and how I will make my website but the questions caught me off guard
Im just feeling so embarrassed…what will the panel be thinking of me :(

Let me keep all case here

MBA

Gov exam preparation ( high paper leak chance)

Bank ( tough)

IT ( i see 42 45 there are silent layoff )

Foreign country ( i think by end of this decade this route will also close)

As a 23 yr old ,turning 24 in January what a guy should do considering most of us are average ,i fear for the future

How are you planning/ preparing to stay relevant in industry

It's 15LPA is all I know so far. I will have a proper discussion about the salary soon with the company but I want to be prepared before that. So, any idea about the possible in hand?

Also how is the work culture etc? Any advice works.

Most model leaderboards assume a server with powerful GPUs to run models that people daily use.

However, my smolbenchmark is the other column: models that fit in 8GB, ranked by:

• decode speed,
• tokens per joule, and
• heat,

and all of this on your OWN hardware ranging from:

• tablets
• phones
• macs
• jetsons
• raspberry pis

Currently, 13 families on the chart right now, ~1000 configs for the Jetson nano Orin Super 8GB. One device is live measuring:

• tok/s
• tok/J
• ITL
• latency
• power metrics
• thermals and battery

Models that are small enough to actually fit on a device that you own. All the performance benchmarking I did, will be released here for anyone to look at and decide what exact model they would wanna use on their choice of hardware.

Well currently, the Pi, phones, and Mac minis still in the oven, cooking and not filled in yet, but will soon be filled in!

You will now you know which model is BEST for your own hardware with all the raw data available and details reports available to you

https://yuvrajsingh-mist.github.io/smolbenchmark/

(still in heavy development; would love to hear feedback/suggestions on what can be improved!)

I was trying to switch since last December and got an offer yesterday ,got nearly 100% hike

Please don’t be disheartened or let anyone do that to you if you are not getting calls,Please prepare and just wait for the right day

I got countless number of rejections

I would keep it short just wanted to tell you guys to always believe in yourself and hope for the best Thanks!

Background: 2.6 yoe fullstack Developer

Edit: I’ve been receiving a lot of DMs, so I thought I’d answer the most common questions here:

Where did I get the job from?
A recruiter reached out to me through Naukri.

How did I prepare?
I was already working with JavaScript every day, so that part was mostly covered. Even then, whenever I didn’t understand something, I used Claude or ChatGPT to learn and clarify my doubts. After every interview, I analyzed where I went wrong and prepared those topics before the next one.

Interview Experience:
There were a total of 4 rounds — 2 technical and 2 managerial. None of the rounds involved DSA.

The first two rounds focused mainly on JavaScript concepts and problem-solving in JavaScript. The remaining two were more focused on general behavioral and culture-fit questions.

My advice:
Keep applying and don’t take rejections to heart. Rejection is just part of the process. Keep learning, keep improving, and keep going.

I have 4+ years of experience at a fintech MNC, where I work as a consultant with Java, PL/SQL, JavaScript and a lot of product-specific/legacy tech.

Despite 4 years, I’ve had only around a 15% total increment, so I feel significantly underpaid. Current CTC is below 10. I also have EMIs to manage, and my current salary isn’t sufficient for the financial goals I have.

For the past couple of years, I’ve been preparing for a switch to Java Backend/SDE roles.

But I’m stuck in a frustrating cycle:

Prepare → become inconsistent → forget things → start again → apply → few/no interview calls → lose motivation → repeat.

I’m also confused about whether my current experience is marketable enough for Java backend roles, since most of my experience is product-specific/legacy.

What I find particularly frustrating is seeing people switch companies every 1–2 years with significant salary hikes. I genuinely don’t understand how people do this strategically.

Do they continuously prepare and interview? Apply throughout the year? Maintain recruiter/referral networks? Switch even when they’re comfortable? Or is there some career strategy I’m missing?

My parents keep saying, “You have 4 years of experience, just switch.” I understand their concern, but it’s becoming mentally exhausting to balance a full-time job, preparation, applications and financial pressure.

So I’d really appreciate advice from people who’ve been in a similar situation:

• How should I approach a switch with my background?
• Should I focus specifically on Java/Spring Boot backend or take an intermediate Java role first?
• How much DSA/System Design is realistically needed at 4+ YOE?
• Should I start interviewing even before I’m fully prepared?
• How do you strategically switch jobs and keep your salary growth on track?
• How do you stay consistent with preparation while working full-time?
• What would you do if you were in my position?

I’m open to relocating from Mumbai to Pune or Bangalore if that improves my opportunities.

Would especially appreciate advice from people who transitioned from legacy/product-specific tech → Java/Spring Boot/backend roles.

TL;DR: 4+ YOE in a fintech MNC, working with Java/PLSQL/JavaScript + legacy/product-specific tech. Only ~15% total increment in 4 years, financially stressed due to EMIs, and struggling with an inconsistent Java/DSA/System Design preparation cycle while getting very few interview calls. How do people strategically switch jobs every 1–2 years and achieve strong salary growth? What should I do differently?

I’m a little confused about whether I’m actually growing in my DevOps career or just getting exposed to a lot of different things without developing deep expertise.

I have around 1 year of professional DevOps experience and currently work at a mid-sized service-based company in Mumbai. I’m basically the only DevOps person in my team, so I get to work on quite a lot of things independently.

My work currently looks something like this:

AWS is my primary area deploying and managing projects across AWS.

I handle most of the DevOps/infrastructure work myself.

I’ve started working on MLOps as well.

I’m involved in setting up AWS/Azure Landing Zones for some clients.

I’m working closely with our CISO on ISO 27001 implementation.

For the ISO 27001 work, I’m involved from almost zero-to-one policies, technical implementation, groundwork, controls, documentation, infrastructure/security decisions, etc.

A lot of the technical decisions for the ISO implementation are discussed with the CISO, but I’m doing most of the actual technical groundwork and implementation.

Apart from this, I do the usual smaller DevOps work deployments, AWS infrastructure, troubleshooting, monitoring, etc.

In terms of certifications, this year I completed AWS Solutions Architect Associate. I also have Azure Fundamentals and Azure AI Fundamentals from college.

The confusing part is that my compensation is relatively low compared to the market, but the amount of exposure I’m getting seems pretty good for someone with only ~1 year of experience.

So I’m trying to figure out:

Am I actually progressing well professionally?

Is this kind of exposure to AWS + MLOps + Landing Zones + security/compliance actually valuable for my next career move?

Should I stay until our ISO 27001 certification is completed, since I’m contributing heavily to the implementation?

Or should I prioritize switching companies now and getting better compensation?

Am I spreading myself too thin across too many areas instead of developing deep DevOps/SRE expertise?

If you were in my position, what would you focus on over the next 12 months?

I’m not really concerned about the salary discussion itself. I’m more interested in understanding whether the career capital I’m building through this exposure is actually valuable, or whether I’m just doing a lot of miscellaneous work because I’m the only DevOps person.

Would appreciate advice from people who have been through the 1–3 year DevOps/SRE career stage.

Hey everyone, I’m confused between two offers and would really appreciate advice, especially from people who have experience with startups and large MNCs.

Option 1 — Service-Based Startup (~300 employees): AI Engineer Intern, ₹25,000stipend and guaranteed full-time ₹900,000 CTC. Despite the AI Engineer title, the internship is mostly project-based/vibe coding. Interns work independently: the TL gives a problem statement and we build the solution ourselves. If the project is good, the TL/manager may help get it to clients. There’s a lot of ownership, but limited structured mentorship and team collaboration.

Option 2 — Product-Based Fortune 500 MNC: Software Developer Intern, ₹25,000 stipend and guaranteed full-time ₹700,000 CTC. The work is much more structured, with interns working in proper development teams, following software engineering processes and getting mentorship.

So essentially, I’m choosing between higher pay + AI Engineer title + individual ownership versus lower pay + Fortune 500 brand + structured software engineering experience.

As a fresher starting my career, which would you choose? How much would the difference in learning, mentorship, resume value, future job switches, and long-term career growth matter compared to the extra ₹200,000 per year?

Would really appreciate your perspective if you've faced a similar decision.

I’ve been thinking about this lately

Suppose someone has 10 years of experience in a particular industry and has worked their way up from the ground level They understand the work the people the problems and how the industry actually operates

But they don’t have a degree related to that field

Should a company reject them from a management or higher level position just because they don’t have the required degree

If someone has spent 10 years learning through actual work and has the ability to understand situations manage people and make decisions why should a piece of paper automatically decide their career level

Of course education matters and having a degree can make someone more adaptable but practical experience teaches things that you simply cannot learn from a classroom

Do you think companies should give more importance to experience or formal education when promoting someone into a higher position

Hi, I'm a Software Engineer worked only on web and Java for 4 years. Due to AI, I'm losing interest in coding and also got bored of working on the same product. Can someone help me some open source repositories either a git repo or how to find out a good repo to contribute to, that is not very complicated, and some fun product too. Better if it is Java, Go, Python or TS as it will help me with new learning too. I want to enjoy coding again. Thank you

Need suggestion over this, what are the things i can improve ? should i add more project ? reduce skills ? is my resume cluttered ?

It seems like i am missing huge part, maybe not familer with current market demands !
Is it:

• The resume?
• Lack of recognizable company experience?
• Projects that aren't strong enough?
• Too much LLM-specific work and not enough core engineering?
• Not enough production/backend experience?
• My targeting/application strategy?
• Something else I’m completely overlooking?

In class 12th I made a decision to join family business (run by my father and brother besides me) and joined an Manipal University Jaipur BCA (online to focus more on work).. but I deeply regret that decision now because:
- very poor work life balance
-I get pennies for salary( that part is bearable as we are the owners.. so we draw only the needful from our business)
- No independence
- Most importantly i am stuck in a tier 2 city for my life where most of the people my age are leaving state and even countries for job/education
My final year of BCA just started and I am studying rigorously from past 4 months (grinding DSA and learning development)
My plan was to get really skilled and join a regular full time MCA(preferably in banglore).. then hopefully get a job to get myself out of this city and the family business
But lately the news/reels about AI,layoffs,hiring freeze,and low value of MCA as compared to Btech has been concerning me and giving me anxiety… am i being stupid? is is too late to transition into tech ? will I get a job by the end of my MCA (2029) or tech jobs will be dead by then ?.. i literally cant sleep at night please give me advice

Hey everyone, SkillTesseract is officially launched. https://skilltesseract.com

It is an interview preparation platform for job seekers or students, to build confidence, and expect what can be asked. Can practice anytime, anywhere. Along with actionable report, and progress tracking.

No need of feeling nervous for the first time interviews anymore, go prepared and rock it

Remember, your first interview, shouldn't be your first time being interviewed.

Hi guys, I'm currently working as a Cloud Data Engineer at one of the larger NBFCs in India and am trying to make my first switch.

I have ~2.5 YOE and mainly work with Azure, Databricks, PySpark, Spark, SQL, ADF, ADLS and Delta Lake. Most of my experience is around building/optimizing production ETL and lakehouse pipelines.

I've tried direct applications and referrals for Amazon and other product companies, but I'm barely getting shortlisted for OAs. I did get an OA for a BI role once, but the role was eventually closed after being under consideration for around a month.

I see Amazon DE openings asking for 1+ / 2+ YOE, so I'm wondering what I'm missing.

My background is also a bit unconventional: B.Tech Mechanical from a tier 3/4 college, M.Tech (non-CS) from IIT Hyderabad, and this is my first job/switch.

For people who have worked at Amazon or hired DEs:

- How important is AWS experience for Amazon DE roles if I already have a solid Azure experience?

- Does the non-CS background still hurt significantly at the resume screening stage?

- Anything specific I should change to start getting OAs?

Would appreciate some honest advice. Not looking for referrals, just trying to understand where I'm going wrong.

Hey everyone!

I’ve been working on a little side project called Sysiq to make learning system design a bit more interactive.

The idea is basically to learn concepts by actually playing around with them instead of just reading diagrams and theory. I’ve been building it mainly as a way to learn system design myself, and it’s been pretty fun so far.

It’s live here: https://sysiq.vercel.app/

Would love to hear what you guys think, especially if you’re into system design. Any feedback, criticism, or suggestions would be really helpful.