Xebia Data Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

I got several invitation calls from 3 different persons for the same interview at Xebia Bangalore Brigade office.I attended an interview at Xebia on January 11, 2025, and the experience was disappointing. Despite reading several negative reviews beforehand, I chose to give the company a fair chance, but unfortunately, the concerns expressed in those reviews turned out to be valid.

From the very beginning, the process was poorly managed. I waited for over three hours before being called, while candidates who arrived after me were invited for their interviews earlier. This inconsistency immediately raised questions about the fairness of their process.

When my turn finally came, the interview began with a moderately challenging SQL question: I was asked to fetch all invalid December month transaction IDs (which is coming in ooo hours) from a dataset, applying conditions such as working hours from Monday to Friday (9 AM to 4 PM), excluding weekends and specific holidays (24th and 25th December). While I attempted to solve this, the interviewer interrupted repeatedly with casual, unrelated remarks. These interruptions disrupted my concentration and added unnecessary pressure, making it difficult to focus on solving the query effectively.

Following this, the interviewer moved to a Python question, which involved determining whether a given number was a perfect square. Although the problem itself was simple, it included irrelevant details, such as pre-imported libraries in a web-based IDE. This added an unnecessary layer of complexity and confusion. Again, the interviewer’s interruptions and casual talk distracted me further. Instead of focusing on assessing my logic and problem-solving skills, he seemed more interested in making irrelevant comments.

What stood out most negatively was the interviewer’s unprofessional behavior. At one point, he made an inappropriate remark about my name, comparing it to his own, which he claimed was not as "weighted."
I asked his name politely and he replied " Vaibhav Gupta"

While I attempted to steer the conversation back to technical discussions, his attitude remained dismissive and unfocused. He even questioned my leadership skills but turned it into an argument instead of allowing me to explain.

I also noticed disparities in how candidates were treated. For instance, a female candidate before me was given over an hour for her interview, while mine felt rushed and dismissive. While this is my personal observation, it raised concerns about bias in their evaluation process.

The interview ended abruptly and on a negative note. When I tried to discuss architectural patterns for data pipelines, the interviewer dismissed my points outright, stating that they did not need data architects. Without providing proper closure, he left the room, leaving me feeling disrespected and undervalued.

Overall, the experience was frustrating and insulting. The interviewer’s behavior was unprofessional and dismissive, and the process lacked the basic respect and fairness expected in a professional setting. Based on my experience, I strongly believe that Xebia needs to overhaul their interview practices, ensuring a more structured, unbiased, and respectful approach toward candidates.

I am relieved I was not selected, as this experience highlighted what could likely be a toxic work environment. I would not recommend Xebia to anyone, as their lack of professionalism and courtesy reflects poorly on their organizational culture.