ENGAGENCY Interview Questions
& Process

Had a phone screen with the co-owners where they talked about their culture and work environment. It felt like a good chat and I got a good impression. After that, I had a coding test that included front-end (Bootstrap) and back-end (C#/ASP.NET - they suggested MVC, which I hadn't used much recently, so I opted for ajax/asmx calls). Then, there was a group code review where I presented to the whole company, followed by a group Q&A session. This was then followed by a personality test and a math problem. After that, we had a group lunch. The company, owners, and staff were great, and I liked the tech stack. All my questions were answered. Even though an offer was extended, it was later withdrawn. I'm okay with it, and I think their decision was based on their business's growth path. I respect that. It's a really diverse company where everyone seems to work well together and aim for high-quality results, which seemed to be the case based on what I saw. Regarding the math problem, if it's been a while since you've done 8th-grade algebra, it's a good idea to refresh. It's a straightforward problem if you can 'solve for X', but I hadn't done that in ages. I figured out the logic for the solution quickly but then decided to relearn the algebra to show a better understanding. Eventually, I gave up on that and just brute-forced the answer. I got it right, but it took me an hour instead of what should have been 10 minutes. If I hadn't tried to relearn the algebra, I wouldn't have spent an hour on an 8th-grade math problem. Oh well. The whole process felt fair and reasonable, and I wish them continued success. They genuinely care about their business and seem to prioritize both customers and employees, which is tough to balance.

I applied on LinkedIn and was contacted pretty quickly. First, I talked with the CEO, which was a great conversation covering my background and what they were looking for. He was really open about the job and the company's future plans. Then, there was a coding test that I had 3 days to finish. I recommend setting aside a full Saturday for it. The algorithm wasn't too hard, but the UI part was a bit challenging if you're not up-to-date with modern UI frameworks. Unfortunately, they ended up going with someone else. It was a fun process though, the coding challenge was enjoyable, and the CEO seemed genuinely invested in finding good people.

The interview process is pretty simple. First, you'll have a brief conversation with the CEO or the team to check your personality fit. After that, you'll do a straightforward coding exercise using C# and ASP.NET. If you pass the coding part, you'll usually get a logic problem with a time limit, which isn't too tough. Then, the team makes their decision.

This was honestly the worst interview process I've ever been through. I was drawn to the online job posting by its quirky description, something about having a 'heart of gold.' The whole thing was handled by the CEO, Jason Perry, who was incredibly slow to respond after each stage. Apart from his delays, things were going pretty well, and I thought I was close to getting the job. Then, during a team lunch, I found out it's a tiny 6-person company: the CEO, his wife, and their four employees. The CEO and his wife had their own offices, while everyone else was crammed around a large table in a dim room, which felt a bit strange. Jason called to offer me the job, but said it was a hectic period and he couldn't finalize things for a week or two. This was an issue because he knew I had another offer and I was trying to expedite Engagency’s decision, which I'd been open about. He seemed to want to limit my negotiating power. When I brought up salary, he mentioned an offer amount that I think I had said maybe 3 months ago (given his slow responses). I then mentioned a sign-on bonus I was currently being offered elsewhere and said if he could match it, I'd accept right away. He immediately stated the offer was firm. I said that was fine, but I'd need a few days to think about it. That's when he completely changed his tune. He accused me of only caring about money and said he was reconsidering the offer because I was showing my 'true character.' He then called me overconfident, said I didn't have much to offer, and that I should be grateful for the offer. He went on like this for about 5 minutes. I finally had to cut him off and say that if he didn't see me as a valuable candidate, he shouldn't bother extending a formal offer. It's still hard to believe how rude and unprofessional he was, especially considering how much they emphasized 'good character' during the interviews.