Policybazaar

Role: SDE-2 (Experienced Role)

College: BTech Tier 3

Interview Date: July 23, 2024

Interview Type: Full-Time

Result: Rejected (initially due to salary demands, later blocked by recruiter)

Difficulty: Medium to Hard (CTO round was challenging, and the overall process was frustrating)

Rounds: 3 rounds

Topics Asked: Technical questions, detailed questions by CTO

Experience:

The candidate, with 2+ years of experience, applied for an experienced SDE-2 role.

Round 1: Technical Interview

This round was with an experienced developer. The candidate answered all questions within 45 minutes.

Round 2: Technical Interview

This round was with a team lead. The candidate solved the problem and answered other questions in 25 minutes, impressing the interviewer with their knowledge.

Round 3: Interview with CTO

This round was rescheduled twice due to the panel's unavailability. When it finally happened, it started abruptly without an introduction. The CTO asked detailed questions without considering the candidate's experience and the role they were hiring for, which the candidate managed to answer. During salary discussion, the candidate requested a 50-60% hike, which was lower than what SDE-1s typically receive at Policybazaar. The CTO abruptly ended the call, offering only a 20% hike.

Overall Experience: The recruiter later informed the candidate of rejection due to "unrealistic salary demands," despite prior agreement on a modest increase due to the candidate's low current CTC. The candidate eventually agreed to a 24% hike, and the recruiter proceeded with document processing. However, the recruiter then accused the candidate of forging documents and editing salary slips, despite the candidate providing proof of appraisal and bank statements. After multiple follow-ups, the recruiter blocked the candidate, highlighting an exploitative experience.