How a 40‑Minute Shower Cost Me an Offer and What I Learned from the Interview

At 10:10 am the author stepped into the bathroom for a hot shower, expecting a refreshing start to the day. After 40 minutes, drying off and checking the phone, a red exclamation mark indicated that the job offer had vanished.

Reflecting on the absurdity, the author wonders why a shower would take so long and what the “flight” comment in the replies meant. The incident leads into a comprehensive technical interview questionnaire that the author later used for candidates.

Technical interview questions (selected):

Self‑introduction.

Can you develop independently on frontend, backend, and mobile?

Experience with uniapp for multi‑platform development and handling platform‑specific issues.

Which AI programming tools have you used? (Answer: Claude, DeepSeek, Cursor.)

SQL optimization techniques you have applied.

Explain MySQL transactions.

How to solve SpringBoot CORS problems?

Describe Redis avalanche causes and mitigation.

Difference between HTTP and HTTPS; experience deploying SSL certificates.

Linux commands to find the service bound to a given port.

Write a paginated query for a products table containing 100 rows, 10 rows per page.

The required SQL query is shown below:

SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY id LIMIT 10 OFFSET 10;

During the interview the candidate mentioned using AI tools. The author notes that the company now relies on AI programming assistants, finding Claude + Gemini 3 to be the most effective, while domestic alternatives are “much weaker,” likening the gap to CBA versus NBA.

Although the candidate struggled with some theoretical questions, their ability to quickly prototype using AI convinced the interviewers to extend an offer with the expected base salary and a project bonus. The hiring team emphasized caution after previous hires that failed to deliver, stressing practical coding ability over theory.

Finally, the author mentions a temporary hiring freeze until after the New Year and sets a 2026 goal of securing 120 commercial development projects, inviting interested developers to contact them.