In a Reddit post shared by a data engineer yesterday, March 10, it was learnt that the engineer was rejected for missing a comma while writing a SQL (Structured Query Language) query in Notepad during an interview.
Despite answering all other questions correctly, the interviewer fixated on this one minor mistake, questioning the engineer for 20 minutes and accusing him of over-relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). The candidate, who had experience handling complex analytical queries and ETL pipelines, was ultimately demotivated and disappointed. Frustrated with the experience, he shared his story on Reddit.
"Had my second-round interview for a Data Engineer role at a well-known company (The name has a resemblance to 'quantity'). Cleared the first round, and in the second, I answered everything correctly—except I forgot a comma between two column names while writing a SQL query in Notepad. The interviewer went off on me for 20 minutes about relying on AI tools and IDEs, completely dismissing my experience working with complex analytical queries and building ETL pipelines at a leading CDP," the Reddit post read.
"It was a simple oversight, not a lack of knowledge, but I still got rejected for it. Frustrating, to say the least. Any advice on navigating my first transition from DA to DE?" it further added.
