Kaavi Gupta

#GraphicDesigner #2DAnimator #SketchArtist

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

Back to the roots for a few days. Some places have a way of reminding you who you are.

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

My experience with Zomato today. My order was delivered on time but the delivery partner’s phone switched off before he could mark it as delivered.

About an hour later, he called me sounding worried. He needed an OTP to complete the delivery but I never received one. The only alternative he had was to travel roughly 7 km back to my location just to close the order.

I checked the app to see if there was a way for me to confirm delivery from my side. Nothing, tried customer support. The chatbot struggled to understand the situation. After a long back and forth, I finally got connected to a human agent who called me to check if the order was delivered?

Meanwhile, the delivery partner was concerned that he would lose his delivery fee. I took his number and sent him a tip. He refused at first, offered to send it back later once he got paid. I told him not to worry about it.

A while later, I received an email saying the order had been cancelled. I’m curious:

Did the delivery partner have to cancel it to start receiving new orders?
Did the system auto-cancel because the delivery wasn’t marked complete within a certain time?
If customer support had already verified the delivery, why wasn’t the order simply closed?

Also can Zomato have a product fix:

If a delivery partner cannot mark an order complete due to any issue, why not allow the customer to confirm successful delivery from their side? Would have saved everyone involved a lot of time and frustration.

@zomatocare @zomato

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

https://t.co/M3AAZlKJrX

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

Not complaining about this weather ⚡️⛈️

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

Small world. What are the odds, I had already spoken to this candidate during a recruiter screening and now I’m seeing this post with a Reddit screenshot making rounds on LinkedIn.

A really strong SSE. We didn’t proceed with interviews as he was prioritising a referral via his partner at Airbnb. Since then, looks like Google and Wise also came into the picture. I was wrong this time on the clarity part though or maybe not since we had an honest conversation.

What’s interesting is the contrast. An average job seeker struggles to get callbacks. Folks with strong skills and brand names on their resume have a different problem:

What to prioritise? Brand vs Compensation vs Team vs Location vs Work-life balance & more. There’s no clear answer. Just trade-offs.

Also, a small observation from a limited set of candidates I’ve met: SSEs at top companies often end up making at par/better money in India compared to Singapore. (Not inviting any arguments about infra, air quality, safety etc.)

BDW I’d have gone with Airbnb 💯

What would you choose?

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

@DocRGM_ Indian roads feel like a circus with clowns, and some of them have unbelievable audacity.

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

One of the most meaningful moments from my Varanasi trip came from doing absolutely nothing planned.

This afternoon, I was sitting at a random chai shop near Raja Harishchandra Ghat, doing what I love most in Banaras, talking to strangers and letting the city unfold on its own.

A middle-aged guy walked in and quietly asked if he could charge his phone. The shopkeeper knew him. A local sitting nearby said something that instantly stayed with me: “Log yahan se Maharashtra kamane jaate hain, ye Maharashtra se Banaras naukri dhundne aaya hai.”

That line stayed with me, so when he came and sat beside me, I started talking to him. He told me he was from Kalyan and had been coming to Banaras every year. As the conversation deepened, his story slowly came out. He was born in Banaras but was adopted by a Marathi family. Somewhere along the way, life became unbearably hard. He lost his parents, then later his partner too. The grief pushed him into depression and life slipped away from him.

Yet there was something incredibly dignified about the way he spoke. He had cleared CA IPCC Group 1, had around 7 years of accounting experience and was now in Banaras trying to rebuild from scratch. He was looking for an accounting role, front desk role or honestly any decent office job.

What really moved me was this: he was sleeping on the ghats and barely had enough money to even make it to interviews. Today he had an interview near Sarnath but had to reschedule because he didn’t have the fare. He didn’t even have slippers on.

I offered him the fare. He hesitated, but finally took it after I insisted. He saved my number and said he’d update me.

By afternoon, I was already thinking I should share his resume with my network and try to help him land something. But before I could even do that, he messaged me. He got the job. He joins from day after tomorrow.

I’ve hired so many candidates in my career, but this one felt deeply personal. No process, no interviews to run, no debriefs. Just being at the right chai corner at the right moment and somehow becoming a tiny part of someone’s fresh start.

Writing this now from Assi Ghat and it just feels like Banaras had this story waiting for me today. Sometimes you come here looking for peace, sometimes for old memories. And sometimes the city gives you a story you’ll carry for life.

This one is mine.

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

What a frustrating online shopping experience.

Ordered an AC from Flipkart, delivery was scheduled for today and the delivery guy actually arrived on time.

He unpacked it, checked everything, then asked for the OTP. Problem: there was no OTP. No SMS, no WhatsApp, nothing inside the app and no option to request one either.

He spoke to his manager and they asked him to pack it back and take it away.

So after almost more than 30 minutes of everyone’s time, including the delivery guy’s effort, the AC just went back.

Honestly felt bad for the guy too, even he didn’t want to return with it.

Really don’t understand how online experiences have become this broken. It’s getting harder to trust these platforms.

@Flipkart @flipkartsupport @flipkart_tech

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

Sorry but I’m taking a U-turn on reschedules.

I used to allow 1–2 chances. Now it’s getting exhausting to wake up to 3–5 reschedule requests every single day. Honestly, less than half of them feel genuine. Many candidates ask for time to prepare, take 7–10 days and when the slot finally arrives they drop another reschedule request to buy more time.

In a competitive market this doesn’t just hurt your chances. You’re also blocking an opportunity for someone else who is ready. Sometimes it’s lack of preparation. Sometimes it’s entitlement.

Also important context people miss 👇
For a candidate it’s just one request.
For a hiring team 4–5 reschedules mean calendar reshuffles, interviewer availability issues and coordinators scrambling to find new slots. It’s real admin overhead.

In this market you should be prepared in advance. Not every team would afford to give unlimited runway.

I’ve seen the ~999 aura candidates. They plan well, manage time, come prepared and don’t need endless extensions. They show up and they nail it.

If someone struggles with time management and priorities during interviews that’s also a signal. Interviews are often a preview of how someone will operate on the job.

Seriously considering a strict no-reschedule policy to save everyone’s bandwidth.

Anyone else tried this?

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

Looked at my X analytics today and weirdly it felt like looking at a career graph.

There are days with momentum, growth and energy. Then there are quiet days, dips, and plateaus. You don’t show up with the same motivation, preparation or grind every single day and that’s normal.

When you push consistently, the curve goes up. When you slow down, it dips. The choice is always there: keep going and try to push beyond “average” or accept where you are and make peace with it.

If I translate this into money, it’s like starting at ₹3.5 LPA, reaching ₹10–15 LPA, and then wondering whether chasing ~₹50 LPA is worth the grind. Money alone isn’t happiness or success but numbers do shape ambition.

Honestly, I’m not fully sure what I want here. Part of me wanted to step back from LinkedIn and just use X as a place to park thoughts. And yes, seeing people post their bi-weekly X earnings also made me curious.

But looking at this graph reminded me: careers, like analytics, are messy, non-linear and still very much in your control.

Also yes, I don’t use dark mode on any app. We exist.

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

India before match: It’s just USA.

India during match: “Why are these H-1B guys playing so well?” 😭

#INDvsUSA

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

What you “actually” need today for an average SWE II ~₹60,00,000+ PA job in India:

•LUCK (born on the right day, at the right time, in the right market with the right WiFi)
•More LUCK (backup plan)
•₹199 “ATS-friendly” resume template that magically gets you past every recruiter
•₹1,999 System Design course that promises “FAANG ready in 7 days”
•₹3,999 Software Engineering Bootcamp with 47 projects you’ll never revisit
•4+ years of SWE I experience at another FAANG (because experience inflation is real)
•AirPods (wired earphones are apparently a red flag now)
•A standing desk / dual monitor setup not for productivity, just for interview aura
•Aesthetic coffee mug with COLD coffee only (hot coffee = instant reject 🚫☕)
•LeetCode unlocked like it’s a side quest in GTA
•System Design wisdom of a 20-year veteran (for a 4 YOE role)
•Ability to explain distributed systems… while nervous, hungry and on a Zoom call with lag
•Resume that makes it look like you personally built AWS
•Impact metrics that sound illegal but are “totally real”
•A referral who actually remembers who you are
•Hiring manager in a good mood that week
•Interviewer who doesn’t wake up choosing violence
•Ability to speak calmly while your heart is doing 180 BPM
•Perfect camera, mic and internet (because ofcourse that matters)
•At least 3 failed final rounds for character development
•Fake confidence that looks like real confidence
•Real confidence that you pretend is fake
•Ability to stay positive after 200 rejections
•LinkedIn profile optimized like an Amazon product listing
•A mentor who replies within 3–5 business days
•Strong DSA + decent design + storytelling skills + psychic powers
•And finally… yes, once again LUCK.

Did I miss anything?

Follow for more such job tips. 🚀

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

Saw a post (Now deleted by the user) about how HRs from top tier institutes feel about seeing tier II/III pass-outs making 3/4x their salary.

As a recruiter, I’ve talked to people earning ₹3,00,000 - 3,00,00,000+ ; sometimes in the same age bracket.

The emotion is the same as when you think about Elon, Ambanis or any Instagram rich kids. You can compare, feel a moment of awe or envy… and then life goes on.

Compensation is a market outcome, not a moral ranking or a proxy for intelligence, effort or worth. Different skills, risk appetite, timing, exposure and choices → different outcomes.

Huge respect for those who’ve managed to build strong financial outcomes early.

And equal respect + empathy for those who are still on the journey; keep learning, keep compounding, keep showing up. That’s how gaps close.

BTW, I’m neither a https://t.co/NlBKVRgHEg nor an MBA, just a graduate from a tier-999 college. I never imagined this journey. Every single day already feels like a f*cking achievement.

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

Frontend Engineer Interviews @ DoorDash — what to expect (quick prep guide)

If you’re interviewing for a Frontend/Web Engineering role, here’s the real breakdown 👇

🧩 Interview Flow

1️⃣ Recruiter Screen (30 mins)
Background, role fit, expectations and DoorDash values.

2️⃣ Technical Phone Screen – Round 1 (60 mins)
Live coding + UI work
• JavaScript, HTML, CSS fundamentals
• Build a small UI component (React preferred, others allowed)
• Focus on code quality, problem solving and communication

3️⃣ Onsite / Virtual Loop – Round 2 (~4 hours total)

• Onsite Project / Feature (75 mins)
Add new functionality to existing frontend code
→ clean React code, thoughtful abstractions, iteration over perfection

• System Design (60 mins)
High-level frontend/system architecture
→ client–server interactions, data flow, performance, scalability, resilience

• Domain Knowledge (60 mins)
Deep dive into past frontend projects
→ frameworks, build systems, testing, performance, styling, trade-offs

• Engineering Values + Hiring Manager (45 mins)
Behavioral + values alignment
→ ownership, collaboration, growth mindset, inclusivity

💡 Prep tips (important):
• Readable, maintainable code > clever hacks
• Think out loud; interviews are highly collaborative
• Be comfortable with React fundamentals (state, effects, components)
• Prepare 1–2 strong frontend projects you can deep dive into
• Know performance basics (rendering, bundles, network)
• Understand DoorDash’s mission, values and product mindset

Frontend interviews here aren’t about pixel perfection; they’re about how you reason, build and collaborate on real products.

Bookmark this if you’re preparing 🚀

#FrontendEngineering #WebDevelopment #React

Follow the thread for similar prep guide for Backend, Data & Analytics Engineering already posted.

[Akash Singh @akkiex007]

As a recruiter, I’ve consistently exceeded my hiring targets for years. This is the first time I’m missing them.

Not because of budget. In fact, I used to hire great SDEs at ~40% of today’s budgets.

Higher budget ≠ easier hiring. It actually raises the bar.

Looking at recent SWE interview feedback, a few patterns keep repeating 👇

Why strong-looking CVs fail in interviews:

1️⃣ Limited end-to-end ownership
Many have it on paper, but can’t clearly explain:
design → production → iteration → impact → tradeoffs

2️⃣ Shallow production & operational exposure
Features shipped, yes. But not enough real on-call, incidents, firefighting, postmortems to show mature engineering judgment.

3️⃣ Weak tradeoff intuition
Design answers sound theoretical or guided.
Independent reasoning around scale, reliability, cost & failure modes is not yet there.

Interviews aren’t about how many tools you know. It’s about how deeply you’ve lived with your systems.

[Kaavi Gupta @kaavi_1D]

*30-Day Aesthetic Travel Photo*

Day 8: The view that greeted me

Woke up to a view that felt like a soft hello.

📍 Varkala, Kerala

[Kaavi Gupta @kaavi_1D]

@wode_maya https://t.co/6cpZMjfFyx

[Kaavi Gupta @kaavi_1D]

*30-Day Aesthetic Travel Photo*

Day 7: Small details I didn’t want to miss

Magic hides in the smallest corners if you slow down enough to see it. ✨✨

📍 Puducherry

[Kaavi Gupta @kaavi_1D]

@aestheticspost_ https://t.co/6cpZMjfFyx

[Kaavi Gupta @kaavi_1D]

*30-Day Aesthetic Travel Photo*

Day 7: Small details I didn’t want to miss

Magic hides in the smallest corners if you slow down enough to see it. ✨✨

📍 Puducherry

[Kaavi Gupta @kaavi_1D]

@INTERIORPORN1 https://t.co/6cpZMjfFyx

[Kaavi Gupta @kaavi_1D]

*30-Day Aesthetic Travel Photo*

Day 7: Small details I didn’t want to miss

Magic hides in the smallest corners if you slow down enough to see it. ✨✨

📍 Puducherry

[Kaavi Gupta @kaavi_1D]

*30-Day Aesthetic Travel Photo*

Day 7: Small details I didn’t want to miss

Magic hides in the smallest corners if you slow down enough to see it. ✨✨

📍 Puducherry