Grafana Labs Backend Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

After they reviewed my resume, I had a 15-minute chat with a recruiter. We did basic intros, and they told me about the company and the job. Then, I had a meeting with a Senior Engineer from the team I was applying to. They mostly asked about my past experience. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the next round.

The process was pretty standard. I first spoke with the hiring manager, then had a live coding session and a systems design interview. It seemed like they were hiring a lot of people because I had someone shadowing me in each stage. During the live coding, the interviewer didn't seem experienced, as they weren't very collaborative despite saying it would be. It was really hard to get any help or feedback. I'd suggest they improve their interviewer training.

I applied for a Backend Engineer position at Grafana through their website. A few days later, HR reached out to set up an initial call. The process involved these steps: 1. HR screening (about 30 min, but really less than 15 min): The recruiter didn't even show their face on camera and we briefly discussed my background and the job. 2. HR/Technical (30 min): I then had a call with a Principal Engineer. It was a great conversation, the interviewer was super friendly. We covered the role's duties and my past work, plus some technical questions. I found the project and team really appealing, and the interviewer was a pleasure to talk to. 3. Coding (60 min): Things got strange a week after the last interview. When I followed up with my recruiter, I got an automated email saying they had moved on and to contact someone else. So I emailed the new person and was invited to a 60-minute coding interview. We scheduled it for Friday, two days after I was invited. But on that same Wednesday, the day I was invited, scheduled, and exchanged emails about the interview, I got an email at 9:30 PM from HR stating they had 'filled our headcount for this position and so we will not be progressing with your application.' This was just hours after scheduling! I had even spoken with HR that day about preparing. The next day, I saw my interview invitation was still active, thinking maybe it was a mistake. I emailed HR for clarification but never heard back. When Friday arrived, I was ready for the interview and joined the Zoom call, but no one appeared. This whole situation felt disrespectful and unprofessional. Candidates deserve respect, and while rejection is fine, this isn't the way to handle it. It's disheartening when unprofessional HR practices lead to candidates being ghosted. While unexpected issues can arise, this treatment shows a lack of seriousness and organization in their hiring process. 4. SD