Akamai Solutions Engineer interview questions

Respectfully, you’re over-indexing on technical skills. I wanted to share some candid feedback after going through the interview process. The role is positioned as Solutions Engineering / pre-sales, where the core value is translating business needs into technical solutions and earning customer trust. However, the interview process appears to heavily prioritize deep, product-specific technical knowledge very early often before candidates have the chance to demonstrate how they think, communicate, and influence. That emphasis may unintentionally screen out candidates who could excel at winning over stakeholders, shaping scope, and guiding customers skills that ultimately drive deal success. The technical depth can be taught. The ability to connect, clarify, and lead customers through complexity is far harder to train. In addition, a six-stage interview process (including multiple technical screens and a panel presentation) feels misaligned with the market positioning of the role. This level of rigor and time investment is typically associated with FAANG-level organizations or roles with significantly higher compensation and brand leverage. Long, high-theater hiring cycles can create unnecessary friction for experienced candidates and may narrow the pool to those willing to endure the process rather than those best suited for the work. Rebalancing the process to better reflect both sides of the role could help attract and retain stronger, more well-rounded talent.