The first round lasted 1.5 hours with two MLE interviewers, covering skills, personality, in-depth discussions, and coding. The interviewers came across as a bit intimidating. The second round was with two MLE managers, focusing on deep dives into past experiences and “tell me a time” questions. Interviewers where more friendly.
Throughout the entire process, there was only one brief 8-minute meeting with the recruiter, and they showed up very late. After that, there was no further communication. No replies to questions about upcoming interviews or status updates, even four months after the last interview.
I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Vanguard (Malvern, PA) in July 2025
Interview
The manager came into the interview with a closed mindset and clear bias. They showed little interest in actually learning about my experience, repeatedly interrupted me, and carried themselves in a condescending way. It felt less like a professional conversation and more like being talked down to. For a company that emphasizes culture and respect, this was the opposite. People who approach interviews with such arrogance and bias shouldn’t be in hiring positions, as it damages both the candidate experience and the company’s reputation.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Basic tech stack question from my resume about certain tools.
I applied online. The process took 6 months. I interviewed at Vanguard (Malvern, PA)
Interview
It was very long, but nothing about it was hard. I got to meet all of my team members before starting the job. I also had to give a presentation about a past project I had worked on for my previous employer
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Mostly questions about Python APIs. Had me do a presentation on a project I was a tech lead for at my previous employer