I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at ThousandEyes
Interview
The recruiter was excellent and provided a comprehensive study guide to help prepare for the technical rounds. I also had a very positive informal chat with the presales who provided great insight into the day-to-day culture. However, the actual interview with the hiring manager revealed a significant disconnect between the information provided during my previous conversations and the actual technical depth required.
The manager was looking for a pre-developed engineer who already mastered the foundations of networking workflows, rather than a strategic leader who could learn and adapt those workflows based on previous implementation and client-facing experience in other fields. While the feedback was constructive regarding 'knowing the audience and the job description,' the delivery felt a bit dismissive of non-engineering backgrounds. Ultimately, it wasn't the right fit for either side, and the interview was cut short after 10 minutes of conversation.
First round: HR screening
Second round: python coding
Third round: Hiring manager
Fourth round: Linux and system troubleshooting
Fifth round: System design
Sixth round: SRE mindset
After six round I got rejected. Interviewers were very humble and made me comfortable in all rounds.
Rejection after six rounds is something disappointing, it takes a lot of energy, efforts and drains you because this process ran for around 45 to 50 days.