Process spanned over two months. The recruiter was friendly and helpful, as well as the senior engineer I met for the technical debrief. However, that debrief was focused around UX, very little concerns were expressed for backend architecture. Using vector search for similarity over natural language was considered overkill. Overall, I felt the discussion and concessions made during that exchange didn't go into considerations at all, and that the decision was kind of made up already. If you give it a try, prepare yourself as a product engineer with data analyst skills, not just a senior backend. Assignment is more about "showreel" rather than systems design.

A lot of companies say they move fast when hiring, but Pennylane truly means it - my whole process, from applying online to receiving an offer, took less than a month! The process itself is pretty straightforward, with three main steps: 1️⃣ An initial call with a recruiter. 2️⃣ A take-home assignment followed by a discussion with engineers. I liked that it emphasized product thinking just as much as technical skill. 3️⃣ A final interview with engineering managers focused on culture fit and experience. Everyone I spoke with was friendly and approachable. My recruiter kept in touch after each step, shared feedback, and even helped me prepare for the next stage. I felt genuinely supported throughout the process. Other companies could learn from this approach!