Bodybuilding.com Interview Questions
& Process

I got contacted on LinkedIn. First, we chatted about the job title and pay to make sure we were on the same page, and they told me about the brand's goals. Then, I interviewed separately with two senior managers. They had me put together a content plan, including my vision for the site in the short, medium, and long term. I had another meeting to discuss my vision. The recruiter mentioned they were updating the CMS and asked if I could start full-time a month later. They made a low offer. I asked for a 6% raise. After 11 days of silence, I turned it down. The recruiter reached out again via calls and texts, saying the job would now start in January and suggested we keep in touch. A few weeks later, we had a call where they asked for my ideas on influencer partnerships and to outline an influencer training program. I requested a signed contract first, and then they ghosted me again.

I applied online and got a request for an HR phone interview. The HR person was 15 minutes late for the scheduled call, so I had to email to check if we could still talk. They called a bit later, but the background was really loud and they seemed unprepared. That call was 10 minutes. Then, I got asked to set up a hiring team interview. I sent my availability an hour or so after. I didn't hear back about a confirmed time for days, and actually had to follow up again on the day it was supposed to happen. HR finally replied, saying they could do it the next week, which was fine. I spent days studying and getting ready for the interview with the Merchandising VP and Project Manager. As soon as we started, the VP said the interview wouldn't be an hour as planned, but only 30 minutes because of another commitment. The interview was just weird, focused on personality questions, and didn't ask anything about my skills or experience. The VP talked the whole time and kept interrupting. Even though I felt okay leaving, they've ignored all my follow-ups about what's next, even after saying I'd hear back in a few days since they were 'moving fast'. It was a really unprofessional and disrespectful experience. We're interviewing too to see if the company is a good fit, and we respect your time, but this company doesn't have the decency to respect ours.

After applying, I had a recruiter call, then a basic phone screen with HR and the hiring manager. They mentioned I'd get updates on the next steps soon, but it took 3 weeks. The next interview was scheduled for 8 am and had 5 interviewers. Only one showed up on time; the other two were 35-45 minutes late and seemed grumpy. They said "This too early" when I introduced myself. The late interviewers were aggressive, making it uncomfortable. One asked how I stay up to date on new technology, and when I mentioned Udemy courses, they rudely clarified they meant 'current' technology, not how I learn.

I was initially contacted by a recruiter about a software engineering role with bodybuilding.com. We first emailed about my interest and my thoughts on moving to Boise, ID. After some back and forth emails, we had a call to discuss the job more. Before they put my name forward, I had to do a quick 10-question written quiz, mostly about OOP. About a week later, I had a phone screen with the hiring manager. It was about 30 minutes and covered OOP, web architecture, business knowledge, and company culture. A few days after that, I heard back that they were interested in an in-person interview in Boise. We set a date and they arranged everything. The in-person interview had two parts. First, a behavioral interview with the hiring manager and a Sr. Engineer, lasting about 45 minutes with "tell me about a time when..." questions. Second, a technical interview with four software engineers, lasting about 2.5 hours, covering OOP, design patterns, web servers, server platforms, databases, and "what would you do in this scenario..." questions. It was a good experience, but ultimately, they decided I wasn't the right fit.