Bloom Institute of Technology Interview Questions
& Process

I had to do a coding challenge on my own time, it wasn't too tough but you could solve it a bunch of ways. Then they asked for a live teaching demo, but they didn't give much info on who the audience was or what the situation was, which really changes the kind of lesson you'd give. So, it's a good idea to ask questions before the demo to figure out what kind of teaching they're looking for.

I had a good experience with Lambda School and thought the interview process was straightforward. HR was quick to respond. The hiring manager was professional and seemed trustworthy. The team was enthusiastic, welcoming, and dedicated to the company's mission, which made me feel confident about the company's future. The process had three parts: first, a recruiter screening call, then an interview with the hiring manager, and finally, a hands-on workshop-style presentation for a decision committee. This workshop and presentation are typical for this kind of job. I've done this before with other companies and didn't feel like Lambda was trying to steal my ideas. They seemed more focused on finding someone who could start contributing right away. I would have liked to work there and highly recommend the Marketing team.

The interview process involved a phone screen with someone without a Product background, followed by a week-long homework assignment. This assignment required detailing the entire process for building student projects, which felt very comprehensive, perhaps indicating a lack of seasoned PMs overseeing it. The homework and presentation also highlighted that their product isn't significantly different from competitors, relying heavily on an Income Sharing model that burdens students to prove placement at scale. There's no interaction with an Engineering team, suggesting limited internal resources beyond marketing. You'd interact with teams in Salt Lake City, mainly mission-oriented grads without formal Product backgrounds, and a smaller SF team. Those in Utah prioritize cultural fit over product development processes due to lack of exposure. It's advised not to be rigid about product building approaches, to ask thoughtful questions, and to align with their marketing narrative rather than questioning their product's core. Be aware that institutional VCs might see through the 'tech-company' facade, and challenging the status quo might not be well-received, despite their business model's aim.

Right after applying, I was contacted by someone from Lambda School and asked to complete a full-stack project. This project included a front-end, a back-end API, functionality for uploading files, and a full test suite. I was given seven days to finish it and had to track my progress using a local git repository. This was an unpaid task. I finished the project in about two days and submitted it. My contact then said she sent it to some internal reviewers. Meanwhile, we set up a quick phone screen where I answered some basic technical questions. The interviewer was professional but very formal and seemed uneasy. She said she'd get back to me by the end of the week, but she didn't. A week later, I got an email stating they weren't moving forward with my application. This felt like a generic response, especially after I'd spent hours working on the project. They vaguely suggested staying in touch, but it's unclear why. The whole experience was pretty bad, and it felt like they were just looking for free labor. It's highly unlikely anyone would be motivated to work with Lambda School after this unless they were desperate.