The first technical interview was satisfactory as it was covered relevant, in-depth questions about WordPress Core, theme and plugin development, security and performance, and the technical interviewer engaged constructively with my answers. However, the overall process was inconsistent and, at times, felt dismissive of candidates’ time and expectations.
Scheduling and communication: HR relies primarily on LinkedIn messenger (and occasional WhatsApp messages) and did not provide a calendar tool or clear available slots to schedule meetings (only meeting with CEO had a Calendly link). This creates long back-and-forth scheduling, multiple last-minute reschedules, and the feeling of waste on the candidate time.
Transparency and role alignment: The job description emphasized general WordPress skills, but later interviews with the client focused on very specific technologies and stacks that were not clearly listed in the original post. That mismatch puts the candidate in challenged position to questions related to topics not advertised in the role.
Perception of discarded after salary discussion: After completing tests and the meeting with CEO (during which salary expectations were discussed), in the next day, I was told by HR that the role was set to “on hold”. That timing immediately after salary discussion left a weird impression and raised questions about how decisions were being made as well the transparency with the candidate. The feeling was exactly like that classic situation when the employer doesn't communicate the salary range for the vacancy and discards the candidate when they don't agree with the salary expectations.
Test logistics: The TestGorilla assessment combined personality, problem solving, and communication tests into a very short window, forcing rushed answers that are unlikely to reflect an accurate evaluation of a candidate’s abilities.
In summary, the company can run a technically competent interview, but the surrounding process needs work. Candidates should expect solid technical conversations but also unclear scheduling, late disclosure of role specifics, and communication issues. With better scheduling tools, clearer job descriptions and salary ranges, and more transparent timing around hiring decisions, this could be a much stronger candidate experience.