D. E. Shaw & Co. - Investment Firm Recruiter Interview Questions
& Process

I applied to the company through social media after seeing they were hiring for a talent acquisition specialist. About a week after applying, I got a confirmation email. The next morning, I received a phone call for a telephonic interview, and later that day, I got a rejection email.

This process took about 2 months and included 2 short written tests. I spoke with 6 different people, had 5 video interviews and 6 video meetings. The last meeting was a check-in with a recruiter because the whole process was so drawn out. After the first three interviews, I was told the rest were the final round, but it felt like it went on forever. A few times, my interview got pushed back a week because they realized the person I was supposed to meet with was out of office. They also asked for 4 references and put me through a really tough background check where I had to list every job I've ever had and the contact info for each supervisor. I went through all the stages, my references were all contacted, and I passed the background check. Then I got brief, unclear feedback that I didn't get the job because I lacked enough corporate experience and wasn't a good fit for their demanding environment. They didn't even say thank you for my time. In my final meeting with a recruiter, they mostly questioned why I even wanted the job after all those interviews, and what other jobs I was looking into and if they were similar - it felt like they were trying to catch me out rather than reassure me as a finalist. It's confusing that I kept moving forward and got positive feedback after each interview, only to be rejected. My resume and interview answers clearly showed my work history, so my limited corporate experience shouldn't have been a surprise, and if it was really an issue, they could have stopped the interviews earlier. Plus, the idea that I wasn't a fit for their 'corporate environment' felt racially charged, especially since I'm a young woman of color. I worked through college, have a great resume, and went to top schools. Also, this was an entry-level admin role, so the interview process and corporate experience needed don't line up with the pay or job description. Saying I wasn't a fit for a prestigious environment seems ridiculous. I'm really unhappy with the whole experience and hope other candidates don't go through this and that they make real changes to their interview process.

I applied online and heard back a few days later. They asked me to come to the New York office for an interview. Once I got there, I signed an NDA and was taken to a conference room. They said I'd be meeting with different people. I then met with two employees separately, and they asked me similar things about why I wanted the job, my past jobs, and how I handled problems at work. After those chats, they gave me two emails to proofread. While the interviews weren't terrible, they weren't amazing either. After the copy editing part, the recruiter who set it all up mentioned he was checking if others were available because it was campus recruitment season, which felt like an excuse while they decided what to do. About 15 minutes later, he told me the day was over and walked me out. The next week, I got an email saying they went with someone else.