Calstart Interview Questions
& Process

Got reached out to about a week after applying and did a 15 minute interview. Then I was set up for the final interview which was about 45 minutes. I thought it went well and shared new ideas that could be done with the teams. I was told to reach back in a week if I didn’t hear back. I never heard back and sent multiple emails to try and get a response. Finally I found the corporate email asking for a response and resent in my resume. After sending that email to corporate I got my response finally rejecting me. It was super disrespectful and I truly believe the interview was a way for the company to get new ideas from candidates for free. Very sketchy.

The interview process started off pleasant. It began with an initial contact with a recruiter who was very friendly. I moved on to an actual interview with a hiring manager. The interview went incredibly well. I was sold immediately on working for Calstart. The company seemed great and I was convinced they were different based on what I was sold during the interview. I was told a decision would be made in one week. I have left 3 emails and 3 voicemails with the recruiter, and two emails with the hiring manager in the 5 weeks since, and unfortunately they have ghosted me. They show zero compassion when leaving candidates on the hook. A simple response back either positive or negative would go a long way. I genuinely pray no one in their recruiting department has to go through a job search anytime soon so they don’t have to feel what they put candidates through. What started off as a really exciting opportunity, quickly soured. I see why the reviews for their company are so low.

I was initially really excited about the possibility of working with CALSTART. The whole process kicked off great with a friendly and quick phone screen with someone from HR. Right after that, I had a video chat with the hiring manager, which I thought went pretty well, and then they set up a panel interview for me. Throughout these first few steps, they were always on top of their communication and it was very professional. But things took a turn after the panel interview. They told me they were still interviewing other people and would decide within two weeks. Then... nothing. I waited five weeks and then followed up to see if they'd made a decision or if they'd gone with someone else. I still haven't heard back to this day. What was super frustrating was that while I was still in the running, I saw they reposted the job, but with a lower salary than they originally advertised. That, plus the total radio silence, made the whole thing feel like a big waste of my time and like they didn't respect my effort. I'm really hoping CALSTART actually listens to this feedback and makes their hiring process better. Just being clear and keeping people in the loop, even with bad news, makes a huge difference. New applicants should know about these issues and think about it when they apply. Getting ghosted after going through several interview rounds is just really demoralizing and shows they don't value candidates' time.

I submitted an application online and a recruiter got in touch. First, I had a phone call with the recruiter, and then an online interview with the hiring manager. The last round was a panel interview with the team.