DataCamp Interview Questions
& Process

Got an interview invite on Sunday and booked it for Tuesday. Had a good screening chat, then another interview on Friday. They said I'd hear back by Monday, but I never got a response even after following up two weeks later. I was surprised to be ghosted by DataCamp, especially for a Director role. The initial screening was casual and open, with both sides asking questions – a really transparent talk. Apparently, they previously looked for a Director of Paid Media and didn't hire, so they're shaping this new role. I had concerns about the company not raising funds since 2018, and then found out about the CEO situation in 2019 – not sure if they're back. They claim to be cash flow positive now, so no need to raise, but that's not the typical VC way. The second interview was competency-based, asking for examples from my past. It felt like some of my concerns were valid during the process. When asked about measuring success in the next 12 months, the focus was only on the first quarter, signaling urgency and maybe that the company isn't doing as well as it seems. Overall, the interviews were fine, but the process was disappointing and hints at internal chaos.

The interview process started with a hiring manager interview, which lasted 45 minutes. I found this interview quite underwhelming. The interviewer, who seemed to be some sort of sales 'manager', asked a lot of questions without a clear structure. It felt like she had already decided before the interview and was just going through the motions. She asked irrelevant questions like 'What's your favourite CRM?', which made me question her seniority. The hiring manager is based in Romania, while most of her team is in London, and she expects people to be in the office a few days a week. This made me wonder how she can effectively manage a team when she's two hours ahead and so far away. Her LinkedIn profile didn't show any significant sales leadership experience, which was evident during the interview. I did a lot of research, but received no feedback. Given her approach, this lack of feedback wasn't surprising; it was unprofessional. Even if I had progressed, I would have withdrawn because I didn't believe she could lead or support her team effectively. I spent a lot of time researching the company, only to receive a blunt rejection after over a week from Talent Acquisition, with no feedback. The annual quota is $900k, which seems more like an enterprise target than corporate. The salary is £75k/£75k with very basic benefits and only 20 days of annual leave, which is below average. Overall, it was a very poor candidate and interview experience.

I first spoke with the company's internal recruiter. About a week after that, I interviewed with the hiring manager and one of the executive sponsors. They gave me some questions and topics to get ready for, which were the main focus of the second interview. They asked about 75% of the questions they provided, asked follow-up questions, and we discussed my responses. The recruiter and the two interviewers were pleasant and provided helpful information, making it a generally positive experience. After the interview, I had some questions, and the hiring manager took the time to answer them.

If you're applying to this company, be prepared to either be ghosted, which is unprofessional and shows some employees have checked out, or to be assessed by someone you'll be managing. Yes, someone you're supposed to coach will interview you. It's obnoxious for the employer and the team member who thinks they can assess their boss, especially when their LinkedIn doesn't back it up. A CFO wouldn't let a subordinate interview them, showing how operational areas outside Finance aren't valued as peers. This isn't the recruiter's fault, but a leadership issue with collective decision-making. It's concerning. I took the meeting despite bad Glassdoor reviews, hoping they'd improved, but the reviews were mostly accurate.