Smartsheet Software Engineer: 15-minute HR screen on high-traffic systems

My first step was a short HR screening that lasted about 15 minutes. It came through a referral, and the conversation stayed focused on my background rather than puzzles. I talked about what I was doing on my current project, the technology stack I'd used, and how I handled scale and high-traffic situations.

The questions were straightforward: what I was responsible for day to day, which tools and services were in my stack, and how I approached reliability when traffic got heavy. It felt like they were quickly checking whether my experience matched the role's expectations, especially around high-volume environments.

I didn't move into an offer stage. The experience itself was fine, just limited. The interview wasn't difficult, but it also didn't tell me much beyond whether my past work sounded like a fit.