FanDuel Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was a long and ultimately disappointing experience. It started with an HR call and a SQL test. Then, I had to complete a take-home case study that took 7 hours to finish (4 hours for coding and 3 hours for presentation slides). Even after putting in so much time, I only got a standard rejection email with no feedback at all. I don't even know if they stopped hiring or where my submission went wrong. The lack of communication from HR and not getting any useful feedback felt unprofessional and like they didn't respect my time. If you're going to ask for big take-home assignments, the least you can do is give some helpful feedback.

The interview process involved 2 rounds. Round 1 was with 2 senior trading managers. They asked for a brief introduction and my interest in the role, then posed some implied probability questions and how to convert to American odds, mentioning that explaining the calculation method was sufficient. Two trading scenario questions followed: how to adjust a game's line, spread, and props if A'Ja Wilson were injured, and similar adjustments if Lebron James were injured concerning Luka Doncic's overs. This initial interview was relaxed and lasted 30 minutes. An hour later, an HR email requested a math test to be completed within 3 days. I submitted it the next day, leading to an invitation for a second round. Round 2, lasting 45 minutes to an hour, was with 2 different senior trading managers. Questions covered the trader's role, my interest in FanDuel and knowledge of the company and its competitors (mentioning BetFair, Bet 365, BetMGM, FoxBet, DraftKings), what excites me about learning there, converting percentages to odds with an example, discussing the math test questions (tough vs. confident), and resolving a past workplace conflict. There were also further questions about past work. One question asked for my approach to estimating the number of hotdogs sold at last year's Super Bowl. Everyone was easy-going and accommodating of my speech impairment, which I disclosed beforehand, and they encouraged openness about any struggles.

So, the interview process started with the hiring manager, then a cultural fit interview, followed by a meeting with the director, and then a technical review. The first chat with the hiring manager was straightforward. She basically said I'd be a good fit if I could handle some Python. The next two interviews went well, I got good vibes. But then came the technical interview. It was kind of messy. For one, the interviewer kept changing the scenario mid-response, making it hard to follow. He asked about handling a compromised host, and my answer didn't include re-imaging. He questioned why, and I messed up by not pointing out he'd shifted the scenario mid-answer to one where the host couldn't be taken offline. It felt like chasing a confused bee. The second part of the tech interview was a coding challenge. The problems were really easy, but the interviewer constantly interrupted, typed in the shared IDE messing with my cursor, and corrected me before I could even check my work. Honestly, the technical reviewer seemed unorganized and was a hindrance. I bet I could've answered better, and if so, I'd be okay with their decision not to proceed. But thinking back, the whole thing left a bad taste. Here's why: 1) They said the decision would be made Friday after everyone met. My interview ended late Wednesday around 5 pm, and I got the call Thursday morning at 10 am. So, I guess they didn't deliberate much. 2) Towards the end, the tech interviewer said 'we're over time, but I want you to ask questions.' I asked one question (we still had about 40 minutes left). For my second question, he said, 'sorry, gotta cut this short and leave early, I really have to go,' and he just left. It felt like they were rushing me out. 3) When I asked the recruiter for feedback, they said I needed to improve my coding. I'm not a professional developer, but I can code and I solved their practice problems. The feedback felt like a fabricated excuse, and that stung. As someone who feels companies overlook me for jobs I'm qualified for, this one really hurt. I really thought that early morning call was going to be good news, but it wasn't.

I had three interview rounds, and overall it was a good experience. The recruiters were nice and responsive, and the interviewers seemed like good people. But the end of the process was a mess. After my final interviews on Friday, I didn't hear back until the next Thursday evening when I saw a missed call from the recruiter about an update. They were going to be out the next day, so if we didn't connect Thursday, it would be the following week. I called back but only got voicemail, meaning I had to wait at least three days for the update. I wasn't feeling optimistic due to the lack of urgency. After a weekend of worrying, my fears were confirmed on Monday. The recruiter promised to get feedback from the team on why I wasn't selected, which felt like the minimum given the time and emotional investment. I thought I was done, but the next day I got another missed call and voicemail from the recruiter saying an offer was being prepared and asking about attending a tech meetup. This call was also late in the day, and in my confusion, I didn't respond that evening, leading to another anxious night. The next morning, a text apologized for calling the wrong number, which is weird because the voicemail had my name. I'm still waiting for that feedback.