Firstbase Interview Questions
& Process

The process had 4 stages: first, a screening, then a technical case study, followed by an interview with a close collaborator, and concluding with a final conversation with the CEO. The questions mostly focused on my past relevant experience and the case study itself. Overall, the process felt well-structured, clear, and friendly, with quick responses throughout.

We started with a screening with the Hiring Manager, just a quick chat to see if your profile, experience, and what you're looking for lines up with what we need. Then there was a Leadership Interview where we talked about the company’s vision, what the engineering role is all about, and our strategy moving forward. After that, it was a Coding Interview with the Team, a live coding session where you’ll solve some problems and we’ll discuss your technical solutions. Finally, a Culture Interview with the CEO, this one is more about seeing if you’re a good cultural fit, understanding our company values, and discussing your long-term expectations with us.

This was a very long interview process with four rounds. Each interview was scheduled a week apart. They also required a two-week working trial, which is way too long. Given that you have to give notice, you wouldn't even start for at least two months. In this job market, you could easily find and accept other offers in that time. The final interview with the CEO was unpleasant. He was late and asked very few questions before calling me a 'red flag.' He seemed to only want to hire people 'obsessed with start-ups,' meaning you need to be able to reference several startups, even outside your industry if you're in Finance/HR/Marketing. Just referencing startups in your own field isn't enough. The CEO also mentioned long hours and firing people, giving the impression the company is quite cutthroat. The other three people I met with were knowledgeable and great, so it was a shame to have a bad experience with the company's leader. After all that, I was told the position was 'closed.' While some employees are good, the company culture appears poor.

A recruiter messaged me on LinkedIn because of my experience to set up this interview. After the interview, I got a rejection email. I asked for feedback and was told my answer to 'Name some of your favorite startups' wasn't good enough because they were too big. This doesn't make sense because I wasn't given a chance to name smaller ones. I told the interviewer I currently work at a startup with few employees and have run my own company. I feel like the interviewer wasn't listening and had already chosen candidates. I wouldn't recommend applying to this company.