I was ghosted after the final round when the recruiter said he'd call me shortly for an update.
I first spoke with the recruiter, then the engineering manager. Afterwards, there was a technical coding round that was more collaborative, followed by a fun system design problem.
The entire staff was super nice and this was an overall great experience...until after the final round, which I did pretty well on.
I waited 3 business days (crossing over a weekend) and reached out to the recruiter for an update, conveying I'm still interested. The next day he said he should have an update and will call me shortly.
A whole week goes by and crickets. I withdrew myself from the running. This is the first time I've left a review, warning others about a company. Ghosting is the norm and I usually don't spend time leaving a review, but to tell me you're going to call and not follow through is a poor candidate experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How did I respond to a stakeholder who pushed back on an idea
Thank you for sharing this. This is not the experience we aim to provide. You should have received timely follow-up and a clear outcome after your interviews. We regret that this was not your experience. We appreciate the time you invested across multiple rounds. That level of commitment warrants direct communication and closure. I lead Talent Acquisition at Lyric and would value the opportunity to learn more. You can reach me at recruiting@lyric.ai.
Other Staff Software Engineer interview reviews for Lyric
I had a really positive experience interviewing for a Staff Software Engineer role.
I was first contacted by the recruiter via LinkedIn, and he stayed responsive and kept me informed throughout the process. The interview process included four stages: an initial conversation with the hiring manager, two coding interviews, and a system design discussion.
Overall, the interviews felt practical and well-structured. Technical rounds were relatively straightforward and stood out in a good way — they felt collaborative and focused on real-world scenarios rather than abstract questions.
Everyone I spoke with was friendly, open to questions, and easy to talk to. The entire process took about 5 weeks, and communication was consistent throughout.
Great experience overall and very organized process.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Lyric (Houston, TX) in Apr 2026
Interview
Even though I wasn't ultimately selected, I had a great experience interviewing with this team.
Mark, the internal recruiter, initially reached out to me on LinkedIn and set a professional, respectful tone from the start. He was transparent about the role, clear on timelines, and communicative throughout every step.
I went through behavioral, coding, and system design rounds. Each interviewer was well-prepared and engaged. The technical discussions were challenging but fair, and every conversation felt collaborative rather than adversarial.
What stands out to me now was the close: I got a personal phone call from Mark with the decision rather than an automated rejection email. Mark was empathetic and offered helpful feedback on where I landed.
Professional, respectful, and human from start to finish. I highly recommend going through the process if you get the chance.
