CBC/Radio-Canada Interview Questions
& Process

It was a 3-stage interview process. First, there was a screening call, either phone or video. Then, a panel interview and a case study, which they emailed with about 1-2 weeks to prepare. The third stage was a final/closing interview, but I didn't make it that far.

A recruiter reached out about the role. I was given a take-home assignment that seemed to be based on a real project. The task was to build a RAG system for CBC data. I put a lot of effort into it, dedicating four full days and completing all parts, including the optional ones. However, after weeks of no contact, I got a generic rejection email without any feedback. I suspect they were more interested in my code and ideas for their project than in hiring me. It was a pretty letdown experience.

The interview process had 3 steps, all done remotely. First, a call with HR. Then, a 1-hour technical test. Finally, an interview with the managers. After 1 month, the status on their website was still 'In Progress'. I emailed HR twice to ask for an update, but never got a reply. Eventually, after waiting 2 months, the status changed to 'Not Selected'. I wasn't told directly, I had to find out myself, and they didn't give any explanation. I feel that's the least they could do given the time I spent on their process, especially for a contract position. Basically, I got ghosted, and I didn't think it was professional.

It was supposed to be a 4-step process. The first step was a general 30 min. get to know you interview which went really well. The second step was a technical assignment. It was sent to me without warning at around 4:30pm on a Friday and due by end of day on Monday, which pretty much ruined my weekend and made me cancel all my plans. The assignment was to implement a microservice and include unit tests and documentation detailing the design choices, assumptions and tradeoffs. Maybe not a big deal if you've worked with microservices before, but this was my first time. And, considering the job description didn't mention microservices, I was surprised. I did research over the weekend, learned about microservices and managed to complete it. I was then invited to the third round which was supposed to be a behavioural interview. When I showed up remotely, I was told they were combining the third and fourth round into one interview. So, I would be having my technical interview, which I wasn't expecting until round four. My prep was for behavioural questions, not technical. I wasn't too concerned and proceeded. For the technical part, I was asked a bunch of technical questions. No mention of the assignment and none of the questions related to it. Then there was a coding question. This is where it fell apart. The interviewer kept disrupting me and wouldn't let me finish my thoughts or code. I'd write a couple of lines and he'd say "that's not going to work." I'd delete it and start again, and by line three or four he'd say "that's wrong." When I'd pause to think, he'd ask "what are you doing, what are you trying to do?" I'd say "I'm thinking" and start typing again. He asked me to explain my thoughts and as I started, he'd cut me off mid-sentence to tell me what to do. I'd respond "that is what I am trying to explain to you if you would let me." The entire coding part was a disaster. He was so disruptive I couldn't think, constantly saying "that's not right", "that's wrong" etc., making me feel stupid. The tension was building, and I had to bite my tongue. Eventually, I ignored him and finished the coding. There might have been a couple of syntax errors, but the logic was correct, though he insisted it was incorrect. I walked him through the code line by line, explaining the logic multiple times before he accepted it. We never got to running the code. I became so frustrated that I told them I don't think working with him would be the right environment for me and withdrew from the process.