Charles Schwab Business Analyst Interview Questions
& Process

I had a phone interview for a contract role with four people on the team: a product owner, a QA person, another business analyst, and another team member. Each of them asked me technical and behavioral questions for about an hour. The questions themselves weren't hard, but the format was a bit awkward because it was hard to tell who was asking, and since it was audio-only, I couldn't see their reactions. Sometimes there would be long silences after I answered, with only the sound of typing. I went into the interview feeling confident because I was qualified and the hiring manager was reportedly very excited about my background. I usually interview well, and despite my initial feelings about the format, I thought I did well at the start. However, I felt the process went downhill towards the end. I sensed a noticeable discomfort between myself and the manager, and he seemed to pull back sharply whenever I was more assertive or asked questions beyond a basic level. At one point, when I asked one of my usual questions about how the position is evaluated, the manager became so stiff he couldn't respond. Another team member answered for him, sort of deferring to management's discretion. In the end, I was told it was a cultural incompatibility, and my impression was that this particular manager wasn't comfortable with strong women. I was very disappointed with the outcome, but honestly, I wouldn't want to work on a team where a manager can't handle basic questions about the evaluation process.

The interview process was super long, starting in April and ending with a verbal offer at the end of June. After the drug test and background check, it was mid-July, so it took about 3 months total. I interviewed with 11 different people, so that's 11 rounds, plus the drug and background checks. Everyone was nice, but since there were so many people, they asked a lot of the same questions. I think they would be great to work with, but I had to accept another offer for personal reasons.

I was contacted by a recruiter who got me in as a contractor. They say it's a quicker process than direct hiring. The recruiter called me, and after I said I was interested, we set up a phone interview for the very next day. Then, about a week later, I had an in-person interview where there was a group of about 6 or more people. It was a STAR-based interview.