Was contacted by a recruiter about a position, with little information on the team it would be part of, which I have experienced is pretty typical. Recruiter had me prepare a walkthrough of a previous project for the hiring manager. Pretty normal project/portfolio review session with the hiring manager came after.

2023 Top 10 Worst Interview Award Winner Approached by a VMware recruiter to apply. Round 1: exploratory interview very casual and good communication. Talked about the role and the team and the ways I would fit into the team. Round 2: an hour long with two senior team members from other departments, first 30 minutes present 2 case studies then the interviewer asked a total of 5 questions. Wouldn't it be better to go over the work history and role THEN portfolio review? Following my presentation, the interview was very one-sided with me pulling teeth to make a conversation. The interviewers didn't really try to explain the role, which didn't help since it was already a rather "free form" role, ie 'we're looking for the type of person who xyz', so afterward I can't even say I learned more about the role other than just that I wasn't a fit based on the apathetic interview given to me by VMware. Unsurprisingly, no offer. I've heard great things about their interviews, but this wasn't one of them.