General Atomics Interview Questions
& Process

It was a typical three-round interview process. It kicked off with an HR phone screen, followed by a technical interview with an engineering manager, and then an onsite panel interview. I felt great about the first two rounds, but the final round felt like a totally different company. They were pretty rude, actually, and it seemed like they thought I was wasting their time just by being there. They just wanted to wrap it up quickly. If that's the case, why did they even move me to the final round? It was scheduled for 1.5 hours but wrapped up in less than an hour. Honestly, it could have just been a virtual panel and saved everyone's time.

First, an HR screening call to go over the job details and check if you're a good fit. It takes about 30 minutes. After that, you'll have a call with the hiring manager. You'll discuss the role and your background, with some light technical questions and a request for examples of your work. Finally, there's an in-person interview with the team, which includes the lead hiring manager and their manager. You'll need to explain your work history as it relates to the position. Then, expect technical questions covering your knowledge of DFM, EBOM/MBOM, and SAP T-codes. If you're selected, HR will contact you with an offer letter.

I had a phone screen with a Recruiter which went well, then an online interview with my would-be Manager, which also went well and I was told I'd be advancing to the next step. After following up multiple times for the better part of a month I was finally scheduled for the next interview with the same Manager and someone who would have been my teammate. Prior to this interview, I was asked to fill out an extensive online questionnaire, which I did. I thought the third interview was ok despite some nerves and was told I would be hearing back in the next couple of weeks. I didn't hear back. I emailed the Recruiter to follow up and while she had always gotten back to me quickly in the past, this time I didn't hear anything. I figured out that I didn't get the job when I saw they had reposted the position. About a month after I saw that they had reposted the position, I got the generic rejection email from the Recruiter stating that they "decided to move forward with another candidate who more closely met their needs."

Okay, so the whole thing started with a 30-minute initial screening where they asked some basic C++ stuff like struct vs class and OOP ideas. It was pretty easy. Then came the Final Round, which was like 4 hours total, with 1-hour interviews back-to-back, but you could take short breaks if you needed. The Final Round had a few parts: First, a Panel for 30 mins on C++ Theory and then 30 mins on Coding, which was the usual technical stuff. Second, another Panel for an hour that was more about logic puzzles and figuring out how to approach problems, not so much coding. Third, a Panel with two technical leads for an hour, we talked about technical things and some general system design. Some people on the panel were more into it than others. Fourth, another Panel, also an hour, with a logic puzzle, like the light bulb one, and we talked about picking the right data structure for a hypothetical coding scenario. So, about the company vibe, it feels pretty traditional, like old-school defense industry, you know? Things are structured, move a bit slow, and the teams have been there forever. The UAV work sounds cool, but if you want that fast startup feel, this might not be it.