Clever Interview Questions
& Process

I always thought Clever was a great company and was really excited to interview. But the interview process was a mess. My first call got rescheduled three times because of 'internal conflicts.' When I finally did talk to someone, it wasn't even the right talent lead for the job. The person I spoke with was really nice, though, and said I answered the questions well and would pass my notes along. Then I got an email from someone I never spoke to, signed by a different talent person, that said 'they enjoyed meeting me.' It was obviously a pre-written email. For a company with such a good reputation, this whole thing felt kind of humiliating, frustrating, and amateur.

The interview process was lengthy and felt like a repetition of the same themes. From the initial chat with the hiring manager all the way through the case study presentation, the main focus was on how I approach strategic account management. The case study seemed unnecessary because I had already shared detailed examples in earlier discussions. All in all, it was a disappointing experience.

It was a three-part process: first, an online assessment that included data manipulation tasks and writing email responses to simulated customer issues, with a two-hour time limit. Second, a phone screening where they asked basic interview questions. Finally, a video interview that involved a role-play scenario with an upset customer, a 'learn and teach' segment, and an interview with the hiring manager.

First, there were some basic HR screenings. Then, a paired technical coding assessment. Finally, a 4-5 hour virtual onsite with 5 interviews: 2 more tech, 2 more HR, and 1 wrap-up with the hiring manager. The paired tech interview was pretty straightforward, focusing more on explaining your thought process and showing coding ability. The onsite included an architecture/systems design interview and a networking tech interview. So far, the interviews have been really positive and the interviewers were super kind and helpful, making me feel like they wanted me to get the job. The onsite interview went well, with fair questions and amazing people. I'm now waiting to hear back about the job offer, which should take 3-4 days. The System Design part was quite simple, and the Networking interview, contrary to expectations, was a straightforward coding/leetcode-style question rather than about actual networks.