Virtu Financial Full Stack Engineer interview: expected C++ and a JavaScript task

A recruiter contacted me about the role and my background. I appreciated how they handled my frequent job changes caused by layoffs. They described the process as "language agnostic" and said the first round would be DSA in C++. I scheduled the interviews quickly and concentrated on preparing in C++.

When the interview began, the engineer asked me to solve a combined DSA and low-level design problem in JavaScript. I switched languages, but unfamiliar syntax and the mismatch with my preparation slowed me down. I felt I could reason through the problem and would have completed the solution and tests much sooner in C++.

I didn't receive an offer. The gap between what the recruiter had said and what the interviewer required was the frustrating part. I felt I had the technical ability, but the unexpected language restriction made it harder to demonstrate.

Location: United Kingdom. Overall feedback: negative. Offer status: no offer.