GoCardless Engineering Manager Interview Questions
& Process

Started with a phone screen by the internal recruiter, then a more in-depth technical phone screen. After that, it was face-to-face rounds that included discussions on management techniques, a pair programming exercise, code reviewing, and architectural design. There was also a shorter interview focusing on personal values. I really appreciated the very open and honest feedback they provided. It was helpful because I hadn't understood why I wasn't getting offers in previous interviews, but GoCardless clearly explained their concerns and the reasons behind their decisions.

So I was first contacted by an internal recruiter via email, and I was open to the interview. We set up an appointment, but they never called. I set up another appointment through their system, and again, no call. A different recruiter reached out months later about another role. I told them what happened, and this person was actually reliable. After our initial chat, though, I was passed back to the recruiter who ghosted me earlier. Then I got another email to book the first interview with an engineer. I got a confirmation for the date and time, but the interviewer never called! I emailed the recruiter, and she called me right back, apologizing that the interview was supposed to be on video chat, not a phone call, and she'd forgotten to send the link. Eventually, she sent the email with the link, and the interview started 20 minutes late, but we finished on time. The interview itself was just okay; lots of technical questions, but the interviewer didn't seem interested in my background or experience. They had a checklist of questions and just went through them. The questions were pretty standard, the kind you'd find in those interview prep books, like SQL JOINs, web security, and the difference between HTTP/HTTPS/HTTP2. A week later, I had to chase them for feedback, and I just got a generic email saying they were looking for someone more experienced. No real feedback. It's weird this company gets such high ratings; maybe things are better internally. Like others have said, the internal recruiters really need some serious restructuring and need to be better at selling the company.

The interview process included multiple phone interviews that focused on technical and managerial skills. This was followed by a lengthy 5-hour onsite interview, also assessing technical and managerial capabilities. The overall timeline was longer than initially suggested, stretching over a couple of months instead of a couple of weeks. It felt like there was a lot of repeated assessment, and the focus was heavily on the technical side, almost as if they were looking for candidates who had recently transitioned from senior software engineer roles, following a fairly rigid structure. A drawback was that the role and company weren't well understood until the 5-hour onsite, suggesting a less formal, more exploratory phone process earlier on could have been more efficient. The scheduling and coordination of the interviews didn't create a positive impression of the company; it felt transactional, like they were processing candidates rather than actively trying to recruit them. Despite the lack of enthusiasm generated by the process itself, there was an expectation of enthusiasm from the candidate. On a positive note, they provided a helpful page detailing the interview process and expectations.