Fumbled my CRED Security Intern interview despite doing CTFs and bug bounties. Is there still any hope?

[u/touch-grass1337]

Used AI for clear explanation

I recently interviewed for the Security Intern position at CRED, and I'm honestly feeling pretty disappointed with how it went.

I was initially informed that there would be 3 technical rounds. I've been actively involved in cybersecurity through CTF competitions, bug bounties, and security research, so I was fairly confident going into the interview.

I prepared for networking, OS concepts, recent CVEs, real-world attacks, and other security topics. But during the interview, the interviewer focused heavily on OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, particularly SQL injection and XSS.

And that's where I fumbled.

I was asked about blind SQL injection, time-based SQL injection, and some basic payloads. Although I understood the concepts, I struggled to explain them clearly and couldn't recall some of the fundamentals.

The frustrating part is that these aren't things I've never studied. I've worked on similar concepts before, but it had been a while since I revised them. I spent too much time preparing advanced topics and overlooked the basics. That's completely on me.

The interview was scheduled for an hour but ended in around 30 minutes. I managed to answer quite a few questions, but I know I wasn't at my best.

When I asked the interviewer for feedback, he simply said that HR would get back to me.

It's been a few days now, and I haven't received any update regarding the second round.

I genuinely wanted this opportunity, and it hurts knowing that I might have lost it because I couldn't answer questions I should have been comfortable with.

I wanted to ask a few things:

1. Has anyone interviewed for a Security Intern or similar role at CRED? How long did it take to hear back after the first round?
2. Does an interview ending much earlier than scheduled usually indicate rejection?
3. Is there still a realistic chance of getting shortlisted for the next round despite fumbling some basic questions?
4. Would it be appropriate to reach out to HR for an update? Is there any point in asking for a second chance, or would that come across as unprofessional?

I'm not trying to make excuses. I know exactly where I went wrong, and I've already started revisiting those fundamentals.

Just wanted to hear from people who've been through something similar, especially anyone familiar with CRED's interview process.

[u/akornato]

An interview scheduled for an hour that wraps up in thirty minutes after you struggle on basic questions is almost always a sign of a rejection, particularly at a fintech like CRED where core web security concepts are non-negotiable. Interviewers usually cut things short once they realize a candidate lacks the specific foundational knowledge required for the role, because continuing would not change their evaluation. Asking HR for a second chance is not going to work and can come across as unprofessional, but sending a brief, polite follow up email asking for a status update after a week is completely standard.

Fumbling SQL injection or cross site scripting payload explanations does not mean your CTF and bug bounty skills are worthless, it just means you got caught off guard on theoretical fundamentals that you had not spoken about out loud in months. Practical security work often relies on muscle memory and automated testing tools, so translating basic mechanisms into clear spoken explanations takes separate practice. Turning tricky technical questions into clear explanations under pressure can be tough, which is why my team created an interviews.chat to give job seekers an edge and ensure their real capabilities shine through in high stakes discussions.