Staff ML Engineer
Staff · Hybrid · Hybrid (Boston) · 2 rounds · 25 days
Withdrew after the timeline kept slipping with no explanation.
- Recruiter screen+0d
- Technical phone screen+18d
Reached: Technical roundTake-home
← The indexTechnology · Boston, MA The read Rejected, with feedback Offer accepted
Vega RoboticsSample
Sample profile — illustrative data, not real candidate accounts.
Robotics scale-up.
Based on 3 candidate accounts
Candidates describe a hiring process that rarely leaves applicants without an answer — 67% would apply again.
Hiring behavior
Ghosted
0%
left without a clear decision
Ghosted after final round
0%
of those who reached it
Would apply again
67%
the net candidate verdict
Median processdays, apply to outcome
35Avg rounds
3.7Salary range honoredwhen a range was given
0%Salary history askedasked for past pay
—Job description matchedrole as advertised
—Suspected ghost jobnot a real opening
0%Decision pre-decidedfelt already decided
—Take-home required
100%Final-round interviewersaverage
—Feedback after rejection
100%Useful feedbackspecific, not generic
—Candidate ratings
Communication3.5 / 5
Transparency3.0 / 5
Respect4.0 / 5
Process length1.5 / 5
Fairness— / 5
Outcome clarity4.0 / 5
Candidate accounts
Withdrew
Backend Engineer
Mid · On-site · On-site (Boston) · 4 rounds · 35 days
Heavy take-home, but they closed the loop with a thoughtful rejection.
- Recruiter screen+0d
- Take-home assignment+6d
- Panel interview+14d
- Final round+9d
Reached: Final roundTake-home (~8h)
Report this account
Senior Embedded Engineer
Senior · On-site · On-site (Boston) · 5 rounds · 40 days
Genuinely interesting work, but a brutal process: a 10-hour take-home plus a full onsite day. Final number came in below the range they first quoted.
- Recruiter screen+0d
- Take-home assignment+7d10-hour firmware project
- Technical phone screen+8d
- Panel interview+12dwith full onsite, 5 sessions
- Offer+6d
Reached: OfferTake-home (~10h)
Tip for candidates
Negotiate hard. The first number is not the real ceiling.