CognitiveScale Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online and the recruiter reached out. First, there was an HR screening to see if I was okay with the job description and if I wanted to do a face-to-face meeting at their office. The phone call was about 45 minutes, and we talked about my past work, projects, and the technologies I've used. If that went well, I was invited for a face-to-face meeting with the lead and manager. The technical panel seemed really relaxed during the interview, not serious about hiring anyone. They just asked questions to see how I'd respond, and if I tried to take charge or disagreed with them, it seemed to upset them, and they'd act like victims. It was a disgraceful experience. In any interview, if a candidate gets 6 out of 10 questions right, they should be considered a good match. But that wasn't the case here. They expected answers to every single question, and if I didn't know, they'd say it was a simple question I missed. It felt sick. I took a day off work for this, and at the end, they just said they weren't moving forward with my application. Their hiring system seems broken. There wasn't a proper technical person on the panel. When I asked about the firm's goals and how they're working towards them, the manager dodged it, calling it confidential and not for 'outsiders.' The term 'outsiders' really annoyed me. They invite you for an interview to hire you, then call you an outsider to your face. Big tech firms share what projects they're working on, but this company hides it. Totally disgraceful. I'm glad I'm not working there.

The interview process was quite unprofessional. It started with a phone screen with two interviewers, one of whom was initially unintroduced. I was then invited for an on-site interview the same evening. After I provided my availability, it took over a week of follow-up to get the interview date. I was supposed to travel on Monday but only got info about reservations late Friday evening after I inquired. The interview itinerary wasn't shared until Monday afternoon. The on-site consisted of four interviews, each with 2-3 interviewers. The technical and software development interviews were decent. The last two were 'Use case' interviews where I had to propose ML solutions for given problems and datasets. I found these poorly structured, with insufficient information and minimal interviewer input or feedback. Towards the end, I spoke with the recruiter about offers and timelines. They said I'd hear back in a few days, but I received an automated rejection email instead of a personal one. My requests for feedback went unanswered. I also had to follow up about reimbursement for my travel, despite the initial email stating I would be reimbursed. It was a really bad experience overall.

The whole interview process at CognitiveScale took over two months from application to the end. Communication was really bad throughout. The first interview was a simple phone call with the hiring manager. After two weeks, I finally heard back and was invited for in-person interviews. I met with four people from different departments and was told they'd have a decision by the end of that week. Then, they went silent for over a week before asking for another interview. The final round was scheduled without me even knowing about it. I'm not sure who's to blame operationally, but this company clearly has a lot to figure out. Their candidate treatment lacks empathy and professionalism. I hope they treat their employees better than potential hires.

I applied through a recruiter and had a phone screen really quick after talking to the recruiter. The phone interview was with the hiring manager and it was mostly behavior questions, like "Describe an experience where you didn’t agree with other programmer. What was the outcome?" That part went well and the next step was to do a programming assignment. I was given a week to complete the assignment. I think the intended time to complete the assignment is about a 4-6 hours. It took me longer than that, but I felt it was a good way to demonstrate my skills. After completing the assignment I was brought in for a set of 3 face to face interviews. Each interview was with a pair of people. The overall experience was positive.