Cleo (United Kingdom) Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

This whole experience was a letdown, felt more like a cult recruitment than a real engineering test. Even with 9 years of experience, I got dinged after a simple 45-minute call because I didn't sound 'excited' enough or get into the 'deep dive into trade-offs.' Those are things that actually happen in System Design rounds at good companies, not the first chat. It's obvious Cleo cares more about hyping their brand and telling stories than actual engineering skills or building solid systems. Senior Engineers who care more about technical substance and professional honesty than corporate buzzwords and trying to sound peppy for the recruiter should probably look elsewhere.

Loved this interview process! I applied via Otta and initially got a rejection due to perceived lack of specific experience. I replied to the email with more details about my relevant experience, and thankfully, the talent team got back to me to schedule a 3-step interview. Cleo, in particular, was great with a very human approach and provided really detailed feedback after each round. It was a refreshing change from the usual dry, robotic interviews with corporate speak I often encounter.

The interview process began with a values interview, where two engineers assessed my alignment with their engineering principles. This was followed by a 2-hour technical interview with two other engineers, focusing on my skills in domain modelling and backend Ruby coding. The recruiters were very helpful, providing plenty of information beforehand for preparation. Although the recruiters and interviewers were pleasant, I was ultimately rejected at the second stage. They stated I was ranked as an SE2 when they were looking for SE3, and that they weren't hiring for SE2 at that time. However, they had been continuously advertising for SE2 roles since my interview, making the stated reason for rejection unclear and undocumented. They also mentioned wanting to stay in touch for future SE2 openings, which seemed disingenuous given their ongoing recruitment for that level. It's a shame that real-time feedback wasn't provided to address any potential concerns about my abilities, and that their stated intentions for future contact and feedback turned out to be untrue.