Who this is for

Founders and hiring managers who need senior interviewing signal they don't have in-house — a startup making its first critical AI/ML or backend hires, a scale-up whose bar is slipping as it grows, or a team that wants to stand up a real, structured hiring loop instead of ad-hoc chats. If "we can't afford a bad hire, and we're not sure our interviews catch it" is the problem, that's the work.

Hiring, not job-hunting?

This page is for companies. If you're a candidate preparing for interviews, I also run 1:1 mock interviews and coaching. Mock interviews & interview coaching →

100s
Candidates interviewed & assessed
15+
Years hiring & building teams
Amazon
Bar-raising interview rigor
5
Interview domains, one interviewer

What I Interview For

Deep, calibrated assessment across the roles that are hardest to hire well

AI / ML & LLM roles

Machine learning engineers, applied scientists, and agentic-AI/LLM engineers — assessed on real depth in ML fundamentals, RAG, evals, agent design, and MLOps, not just framework name-dropping.

DSA & algorithms

Data-structures and algorithms rounds calibrated to the seniority you're hiring for — designed to surface problem-solving signal, not trick questions or leetcode roulette.

System design

Distributed-systems and architecture rounds for mid, senior, and staff+ candidates — scalability, trade-offs, failure modes, and ML-system design where relevant.

Java & Spring / backend

Backend depth in Java, Spring Boot, concurrency, APIs, and production system design — the fundamentals that separate a coder from an engineer.

Behavioral & leadership

Ownership, judgment, and collaboration signals — Amazon-leadership-principle-style behavioral rounds for individual contributors and engineering leads.

Build your team from scratch

Design the whole hiring loop: role scorecards, rubrics, question banks, interviewer calibration, and structured-feedback templates — so your bar is consistent long after I'm gone.

Two Ways to Work With Me

Drop me onto your panel, or help you build the whole hiring machine

Build Your Team From Scratch

Stand up a real, structured hiring loop.

  • Role scorecards, rubrics, and question banks
  • Interview-loop and panel design
  • Interviewer training and calibration
  • Structured-feedback and debrief templates
Hourly advisory · rate on request

Ongoing Panel Support

Senior interviewing capacity on tap.

  • Recurring interviewer slots as you scale
  • Consistent bar across every candidate
  • Debrief facilitation and hiring-committee input
  • Flexible, month to month
Retainer · rate on request

How an Engagement Works

1 · Scope

A free intro call to understand the roles, the level, your current loop, and where the signal is leaking.

2 · Calibrate

Agree on the rounds, difficulty, rubric, and what a "strong hire" looks like for each role — so every interview measures the same thing.

3 · Interview & report

I run the interviews and deliver a structured, written scorecard per candidate — competency-by-competency signal, evidence, and a calibrated recommendation.

Why me

I've been on both sides of the interview table. At Amazon I interviewed hundreds of candidates with bar-raising rigor; as an engineering leader at startups — ForaySoft/Wayfair (Senior Engineering Manager) and Nolan EduTech (VP Engineering) — I built teams from scratch, designed hiring loops, and trained interviewers. I've also cleared the bar as a candidate at Microsoft and Amazon. And I still ship production AI systems today (Yuvan, a live voice-first AI tutor on LangGraph, RAG, and OpenAI Realtime), so I assess AI/ML and backend depth as someone who does the work, not someone reading from a script.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hire you as a technical interviewer for my company?

Yes. I join your hiring panel as an expert external interviewer for AI/ML, DSA, system design, and Java/Spring rounds, and deliver a written scorecard with a clear hire / no-hire recommendation. Billed hourly or per interview.

What roles and rounds can you cover?

AI/ML and LLM engineers, backend engineers (Java/Spring, Python), and generalist SDEs from junior through staff+ — DSA/algorithms, system and ML-system design, coding, and role-specific deep dives, calibrated to your level.

Can you help us build a team from scratch?

Yes — role scorecards, rubrics, question banks, interviewer calibration, and feedback templates, plus training your engineers to run high-signal interviews. I've built teams from the ground up at startups.

What makes your feedback different?

Every interview ends with a structured, written assessment: signal per competency, the evidence behind it, and a calibrated recommendation you can defend in a debrief.

How much does it cost, and how do we start?

Hourly, rate on request based on scope and volume. Book a free intro call to scope your roles and hiring loop and get a clear quote.

Related

Mock Interviews & Coaching →

For candidates: 1:1 mock interviews and interview prep across DSA, system design, and AI/ML.

AI Consulting →

Agentic AI, RAG, and voice builds; architecture reviews; Fractional CTO.

AI Architecture Mentoring →

1:1 mentoring and design reviews for senior engineers and teams.

Training →

Upskill your team on agentic AI, LangGraph, RAG, and more.

Experience & Resume →

15+ years across Amazon, Agoda, CoinSwitch, and startups.

Yuvan & Projects →

The production systems behind the assessment.

What Colleagues Say

“Arjun is a skilled senior software engineer with a drive to solve problems for the business, product, and customer. He is an excellent communicator and an asset to my team.”

Daryl Thayil — Software Engineering Manager @ Meta

See more verified recommendations on LinkedIn →

Need a stronger bar on your panel?

Book a free 30-minute intro call and let's scope your interviews or hiring loop.