I agree that this is a pretty well-written post. A couple key points that could be further emphasized are that:

1) Recruiters often have quotas too - In many cases, their own performance is measured by hitting hiring targets, so they're incentivized to get you in the door, even if not on best terms for you.

2) In the age of initial RSU stock grants, underleveling can be VERY, VERY costly. The difference between L and L - 1 could be > $100k/year, so the penalty may be far more severe than just time, especially if annual stock refresh is based on level as well.

3) Coding interviews aren't supposed to test knowledge of specific algorithms, but I've been part of a hiring committee at a FAANG and had to request another round of interviewing a few times because the original interviewer failed the candidate based on a chosen coding question that had to do more with knowledge of matrix math, graph theory, etc. than the ability to take a problem, break it down, consider edge cases, and produce code.

4) The process is indeed very arbitrary. My favorite story is about a time I submitted my resume and got a call from a recruiter two weeks later who loved my background. I interviewed and got an offer that I eventually declined. I learned during the process that my application was rejected by the company's resume scanning software. It was purely a coincidence that a recruiter happened upon my LinkedIn profile (which mirrored my resume) at nearly the same time.

> 4) The process is indeed very arbitrary. My favorite story is about a time I submitted my resume and got a call from a recruiter two weeks later who loved my background. I interviewed and got an offer that I eventually declined. I learned during the process that my application was rejected by the company's resume scanning software. It was purely a coincidence that a recruiter happened upon my LinkedIn profile (which mirrored my resume) at nearly the same time.

I had something similar happen to me. I submitted my resume on the company's career page after seeing a role that matched me perfectly. I got an automated email telling me I wasn't the right fit. Dejected, I posted my resume on a job portal only to have a recruiter reach out to me for the exact same position. I interviewed and got an offer.

I'm always curious in these cases: do people point that kind of thing out? If you get such feedback from a candidate, is there something you can realistically do about it in your company?

I did bring it up with the hiring manager. I turned down the offer so, I don't know if they did anything about it.

Thank you! :) Yes, I spent quite some time preparing for that post. If you disagree with some of the guidance, I'm happy to discuss (and/or revisit some of the advice)!