Fender Musical Instruments Interview Questions
& Process

They initially mentioned a few interview rounds, but after completing the first two, they unexpectedly asked me to do an unpaid design project and then schedule a presentation. This felt like a test. I found it frustrating that they didn't mention this upfront, and the whole process was taking up too much of my time given I was already working full-time, so I decided to pull out.

The initial interview was great, felt like a good fit and the conversation flowed well. I was told I'd get an email to set up a second interview. But, I never got the email and they didn't reply when I followed up. It was pretty disappointing not to hear back, felt like an unfinished process and unprofessional. Good communication and follow-up are important, and this experience definitely made me rethink applying there again.

I interviewed for a DSP software engineer II role in 2024. A recruiter reached out for a phone screen to chat about my background and the job. The recruiter was friendly and easy to talk to. Unfortunately, I was rejected after the phone screen because the hiring manager felt I didn't have enough years of experience. Overall, it was a decent experience.

So the process started with a recruiter call, then a call with the hiring manager. After that, I had a call with two team members and another call with two cross-functional partners. The final step was a presentation for the hiring manager and director. I met a total of 7 people. I liked everyone I talked to, but the interview process was way too long. It took 3 months from October 2023, even though they initially said it would only be 2-3 weeks. The presentation prompt was really general, asking for recommendations to make their website better, which I think is a bad idea. They should either get rid of presentations or make the scope much smaller. Considering the time spent on the presentation and the interviews, it felt like I was doing unpaid work for them. Also, communication from Fender was really frustrating. They promised updates by certain dates, but then wouldn't respond until I followed up, and even then, it was late. Waiting around without hearing back makes it seem like my time wasn't important.