Applied online and got a call, first round was scheduled, and details were shared over email.
Round #1: Pair programming - code repository was shared in email, and problem statement was on a Trello board, was shared during the Zoom session. The panelist has 20+ years of experience, was very polite and friendly, asked clear and direct questions. I had the liberty to fork-clone the project and share it over Visual Studio Code Live Share with the panelist. My primary language was java. The entire session was very interactive, overall had a positive vibe. It really gave the impression that this recruitment process might be different from what has become a boring process, in general. Though the session lasted for 90 minutes, it never became a chore and at the end, felt very satisfying. Overall, an extremely positive experience.
Round #2: Technical - I was expecting, based on the prior email communication, that this will focus more on what I have done in my previous projects along with other programming languages that I have worked on. There were two panelists, with an avg. of 10-11 years of experience, though only a single person was speaking for 99% of the time. Unfortunately, the better half of the time was spent on putting forth abstract questions. There was no clear direction where things were going. At one point of time, the discussion heated up because the panelist did not like my approach/answer to the problem statement, which was very awkward. Eventually, the panelist realized that we were running short on time, and with about 15 minutes remaining, asked me to draw the architecture diagram of my recent project in the Zoom whiteboard. Again, more abstract questions followed. At this point of time, it was clear that they were simply going through all the mandatory checkpoints they needed to cover as part of the interview. After 60 mins of speaking to what felt like a wall, I asked for a feedback and was told that "I lack technical expertise" (just that single sentence, with no explanation). This seemed strange as there were no "technical" questions asked at all. Overall an extreme waste of time and energy.
I had two interview rounds, and the experiences were on the extreme ends of a scale.
Advice to recruiters - Kindly make your panelist understand that learning documentation and file/class names does not equate to a good developer/lead. Every answer need not include some technical jargon. To understand how qualified a candidate is, the panelist could ask relevant questions, interact more, and maintain a sense of positivity, instead of lingering on abstract open-ended questions. Accepting only pre-determined answers ruins the entire point of having a fruitful interview session. Unfortunately, not all interviewers are made equal or have a proper mindset for interviewing.