BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Interview Questions
& Process

After applying, I heard back from the recruiter in about two weeks. The first interview was with Hiring Manager #1, who is the boss's boss. The second round was with Hiring Manager #2, who would be my direct boss. The final round was a team interview.

Applied in June 2021 for a position in the Bay Area and was recontacted in early September to potentially fill the position in their new office in Irvine, CA. Good communication while coordinating the first phone interview. (the recruiter that was supposed to interview me was not available, so another took charge.) Great phone interview; the recruiter told me he would communicate his notes to the hiring manager and then come back to me, but then NOTHING. People can be busy, so I always give around 2 weeks max to follow up, which I did. (emailed the recruiter and CC'd another recruiter) NONE of them responded to my email; I got GHOSTED. Super unprofessional, especially since the standard for candidates is super strict, and we must be communicative and wait. It was a waste of my time, and it's sad because I was excited about that opportunity. Still, it showed me that their recruitment process definitely needs improvement because candidates deserve RESPECT. Funny how in late March 2022, I received an automated rejection email telling me that "Unfortunately," they had decided not to move forward with my candidacy. I hope anybody who interviews with them gets to have a better experience than me.

I had a phone call with HR first, then a video interview with the hiring manager. After that, the hiring manager told me 'if you don't hear from HR by the following Monday to reach out', so I did. Then I got ghosted by the recruiter for two weeks. The full process seems to be a phone call with HR, a video call with the hiring manager, and then a whole day of video calls with about 4-5 people from the team I'd be working with. Talking to the hiring manager was cool, they seemed chill and I felt like I did okay and could move to the next round based on their reaction. But honestly, it's super unprofessional that Bandai ghosts people. I've heard from others that this company does that, like if you don't want me just tell me so I can move on. I sent follow-up emails to the recruiter and never got a reply. It really messed up the whole experience for me. I guess they only respond if they really want you? It's a shame they don't reply to everyone they interview. Just be prepared to get ghosted if you can even get an interview here. HR seems to ignore applicants a lot and there's nothing we can do to get a response.

Namco uses staffing agencies for their QA tester jobs. If you can handle the low $11 wage and the condescending supervisors, it might be an option, but I'd suggest college grads look elsewhere. You usually find these roles on job boards like craigslist. Send your resume in, and if the agency likes it, they'll call to schedule an interview. You'll have to pass a grammar and spelling test with at least an 85%. If you pass, they send your info to Namco. Namco usually sets up an interview for the very next day. The Namco interview can be a bit nerve-wracking. Two supervisors will interview you, and they might ask you to recall their names after they introduce themselves, or make you memorize a magazine page for 30 seconds and then ask questions about it. They'll also ask about your willingness to work overtime regularly and other standard questions. If you get an offer, don't get too excited because the first week is essentially a 'tryout' period, which they don't tell you about. Even if you're punctual and do good work, you might not make it. So, maybe don't tell everyone you got the job right away. They have old computers from the 90s to report bugs on, and during training, you'll test on a Playstation 2. The general atmosphere is alright, with mostly male colleagues, but the supervisors are really condescending and love making people feel dumb. During training, they constantly threatened to fire us for not finding good bugs, being late, or checking email.