Carrot Fertility Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

It was a really well-structured and polite interview process. The questions were interesting, and I got great responses. We discussed my skills, experience, how I align with the company values, and my expectations for the role. I also answered questions about how I approach problem-solving and teamwork.

The interview process was very upfront and honest, which was appreciated even though I didn't proceed. The recruiter/HR team did an excellent job preparing candidates with interview expectations via email PDF. Around late 2022, the process typically involved a phone screen, followed by a screenshare coding round, and then two onsite rounds: the first with code review and product management elements, and the second focusing on architecture and team discussions (which I didn't reach). For the initial tech round, ensure your environment is set up beforehand. I learned that this round focuses on solving the given problem and being resourceful, rather than deep API knowledge, as candidates sometimes get stuck on the wrong aspects. I managed to pass this round despite no prior Python or Flask experience, utilizing Google and adding comments to document my approach. The onsite Day 1 tech round involves identifying critical logic flaws and stylistic issues within a Flask application; these problems are quite evident for experienced engineers. Regarding the product management segment, the key is to adopt a PM's mindset and tackle the situation as if your PM were unavailable. My personal performance in this area was suboptimal, as I haven't often had to deeply consider these problem spaces due to excellent PMs I've collaborated with. This was ultimately the feedback I received.

The interview started with an initial phone screen with HR. This was followed by a technical pair programming interview. During this technical interview, I had to fulfill requirements in a python+flask app, even though I was told the company uses .NET/C#. It ended up being a lot of time wasted talking aloud while searching the internet for python and SQLite functions. The interviewer was a junior with only 1 year of experience. While I believe juniors can be involved in interviews, they should focus on team fit and behavioral aspects. Technical interviews should be led by senior engineers because juniors may lack the technical depth to accurately assess a candidate's proficiency. If the goal is to assess how a candidate handles unknown requirements in an unfamiliar stack, only a senior or near-senior engineer can judge this. I don't mean to disrespect anyone's experience level, but I felt the company lacked care or respect. I'm disappointed I wasted my time.