// Round 01 · 15–20 min · 10 credits
Intro & recruiter screen.
The first call. Tell your story, explain why this role, and handle the logistics questions without fumbling.
The recruiter screen looks easy, and that’s why people lose it. It’s short, it’s conversational, and it decides whether you get the rest of the loop. Hardmode runs it like a real recruiter who has read the job description and your CV: it asks about your background, probes the parts of your résumé that match (or don’t), and checks how clearly you can say why you want this job.
Scope
What this round covers
- A two-minute version of your background that lands
- “Why this company?” and “Why now?” answers grounded in the posting
- Clear answers on location, visa, notice period, and timelines
- How you handle the compensation-expectations question early on
Session
How the session runs
01 —
Context from the job
The interviewer starts from the job you pasted: company, level, team, and what the posting emphasises.
02 —
Conversational screen
A natural back-and-forth. It follows up on vague answers and asks for specifics when you generalise.
03 —
Your questions
It leaves room for your questions at the end, the way a real screen does, and notices if you have none.
Personalised
Fitted to you
Your CV
Asks about the moves on your CV: why you joined, why you left, and what connects your experience to this role. Optional, and you can switch it off for any session.
Your difficulty
- Easy: A friendly interviewer who wants you to do well.
- Medium: A fair, professional interviewer. What most interviews feel like.
- Hard: A proper grilling, like a big-tech bar-raiser loop.
Review
What your feedback covers
- Where your story landed, and where it could be tighter
- How clearly your “why this role” came across, with a sharper version to try
- Questions a recruiter is likely to follow up on, and how to get ahead of them
Detailed and supportive at every difficulty · No score, no verdict
Prep
Tips before you start
- Prepare a 90-second background that ends with why this role is the next step.
- Have a researched number ready for compensation, or a clear way to defer it.
- Bring two questions that show you read the posting.
// Next round
The rest of the loop
// Player 1
Get ready for hard mode.
Paste the job you want. Run the loop until the real one feels like a rematch.
20 free credits · No card required