I interviewed for the Senior Product Manager – Travel role at Paytm around a month ago. While the role itself sounded interesting and aligned with my background, my overall experience with the hiring process was quite disappointing.
Here’s a breakdown of my experience:
First Round & Assignment
I went ahead the initial round and was asked to submit a detailed assignment along with a prototype. As with any candidate, I invested several hours into preparing a structured solution, ensuring it was practical and implementable.
Post-Submission Silence
After submission, there was complete radio silence for two weeks. I reached out for an update, not for preferential treatment, but simply for basic visibility on where things stood.
Excuse for Delay
HR responded saying that the interviewer had been traveling and hence had not submitted feedback yet. While occasional delays are understandable, leaving candidates hanging without clarity for weeks is not a great experience.
Another Two Weeks of No Response
I waited another two weeks and followed up again. Unfortunately, the same outcome—no feedback, no clarity.
Final Rejection Mail
After an entire month of waiting, I finally received a static rejection mail with zero context or feedback.
Key Takeaways
Candidate Effort vs. Company Courtesy:
It is perfectly fine for companies to evaluate multiple candidates, and it is perfectly fine to reject someone. But when candidates are asked to spend several hours on assignments and prototypes, the least a company can do is spend two minutes to provide meaningful feedback.
Reflection on Culture:
Not respecting a candidate’s time reflects poorly on the company’s hiring culture. As candidates, we are mature enough to handle rejections, but being kept in the dark for weeks and then receiving a templated rejection email is unnecessarily disrespectful.
What Could Be Better:
A simple, timely update and constructive feedback would have left a far more positive impression—even if the result was rejection.