I attended the ICE Pune hiring drive on 22nd November, which was conducted as a full-day process (10:00 AM to 5:30 PM IST) and involved multiple rounds of evaluation.
The process began with a coding round, where candidates were given four programming problems and required to solve any one. This was followed by a technical discussion focusing on Core Java, Selenium, Git, and CI/CD concepts.
The next round varied across candidates. For some, it involved questions around day-to-day QA responsibilities and Agile processes, while for others it was a deep technical discussion emphasizing API testing and coding concepts. After this, there was a brief HR discussion covering standard topics. A VP discussion followed, which focused on roles and responsibilities, team expectations, motivation to join ICE, and comfort with working five days from the office.
Despite clearing these multiple stages (five rounds in a single day), there was no clarity provided on selection status or next steps.
Approximately two weeks later, I was contacted again for an additional technical discussion on a specific project, which lasted nearly one hour. Following this round as well, there was no communication or feedback.
After another week, I was again invited for one more technical discussion for a different project, lasting around 45 minutes. Even after completing seven interview rounds, there is still no clarity on selection status, expectations, or outcome.
While the interviewers were professional and discussions were technically meaningful, the lack of transparency, delayed communication, and repeated technical evaluations without feedback made the overall experience confusing and disappointing. Clear communication on outcomes and expectations at each stage would greatly improve the candidate experience, especially after investing significant time and preparation across multiple rounds.
I continue to respect ICE as an organization and value the learning from the discussions; however, a more structured and transparent interview process would help set clearer expectations for candidates.