"Cold" applied through LinkedIn with cover letter and eventually received an email 3 weeks later inviting me to chat. We scheduled a video call, where I chatted with HR, technical lead, and research leads. They asked me general questions about my experience, why I wanted to work there, and some examples of technologies & projects I've worked on. Overall it was a positive experience with experts who were clearly passionate about their field. I sensed that, despite it being an entry role (2 years experience required) they were looking for someone with significant industry experience designing large systems. I was rejected about a week later, and after requesting any feedback as to what helped them make their decision, I received no response. Considering this is pretty standard for the industry, I'm not holding this against the company.