Democracy Works Interview Questions
& Process

Applied online and got a 30-min initial screening chat. It wasn't with the research team but someone else from hiring. We talked about the job, the company, and duties. After that, I got a practical assignment that only took a few hours, not like free work. Sadly, I didn't move forward. I thought I had a chance for more interviews, but nope. The interview itself was fine, but I was bummed not to talk to the actual team. I get it was a screening, but still disappointing. Also, seeing reviews here makes me hesitate. The company sounds cool, and I'd have gone through the process to see if things changed, but the bad reviews are a worry. Candidates should ask about them, and DW should be more upfront about what happened.

I went for Software Engineer and Senior Software Engineer jobs, but they cut me for the Senior role, and I pulled out of the mid-level one later. The process involved: first, a 2-hour coding exercise at home. Then, a 30-min chat with two Product Managers. After that, a 90-min session with a Senior Engineer and an Engineering Manager, split into pair-programming and a non-technical chat. Finally, a 45-min talk with the VP of People & Culture. Everything felt pretty easy, and they were super clear about what each round would cover. I called it 'Easy' overall because the whole thing took a while.

After you apply online, the first thing they do is send you a sorting and organization task by email. It involves organizing about a dozen paychecks and invoices to answer questions about specific account balances. It was a tedious task to do before they even spoke with you. You also need to draft a "company wide retreat" email with some details to show how you'd feign enthusiasm. After they "randomize and judge" this info, they send you an invite for a Zoom video interview. I had two of these video interviews. The first interviewer seemed unprofessional, as she was in her bedroom and kept trying to stifle yawns. The questions weren't pertinent to the job, mostly personality-based, and didn't assess work performance. She also had trouble paying attention and asked me to repeat questions. She never asked about my interest in the job or the organization. After about 40 minutes of irrelevant questions, she ended the call. The second interview was better, though still not very pertinent. This interviewer seemed more engaged with the company. I answered all questions in a way that a candidate would typically want to hear. They didn't ask about the data organization or email task. A few days later, I got an email saying I wasn't moving forward.

First, I had to do a written exercise about The Office. Then, there were three interview rounds. The first interview was great, the second was okay, and the third was really tough. During the third interview, they kept cutting me off, quickly summarized my answers, and showed poor body language like rubbing their eyes, sighing, and avoiding eye contact. They were also a bit cold and condescending, which made it hard to finish well. The role-playing activity in the interview felt strange because it seemed like something I would learn on the job rather than know beforehand. They also told me there would only be two interviews, but then there was a surprise third one.