During the interview, I experienced a balanced blend of technical rigour and collaborative problem solving. The process started with a concise overview of my projects, then system design prompts that urged me to articulate trade‑offs, scalability, reliability, and security considerations. I paired on a coding exercise, explaining my approach, prioritising readability and testability, and defending decisions under scrutiny. There were thoughtful behavioural questions about teamwork, ownership, and learning from mistakes. The interviewer asked probing follow‑ups that tested depth rather than memorisation, and the atmosphere was professional yet supportive. Overall, the experience emphasised communication and problem‑solving as much as raw knowledge, leaving me confident about the role.