Gunderson Dettmer Interview Questions
& Process

I applied on 9/8 and had a phone screen on 9/13. Then I had a partner interview on 9/17, followed by interviews with an associate and a paralegal on 9/26. I had another associate interview on 10/1 and a final partner interview on 10/14. All of these chats were nice and conversational. I reached out on 10/17 after sending a follow-up and heard that they were wrapping up decisions. Today, two weeks later and after another follow-up email, I got word they went with someone else. I'm really bummed about how this whole thing went down. A hiring process shouldn't take this long, over a month. If I'd known sooner they weren't going to hire me, I could have found other short-term work.

It started with a screener, followed by three 30-minute interviews that seemed pretty scripted. The questions were designed to assess my decision-making skills, predict my behaviors, and understand my personality. It felt like a really standard and predictable firm interview.

The interview started with a chill phone screening with the manager to get to know me. Then, I had a second interview with the manager and two coordinators. It was a panel interview and way more formal. They asked standard questions like 'naming a weakness' and 'tell about a time you _____'. You really need to have specific stories from your past jobs ready to share in detail for these. The interview was over an hour, which felt intense and a bit nerve-wracking towards the end. They said I'd hear back within a week, but I never did. I sent a follow-up thank you and got no reply. It was weird, but whatever. Weeks passed, and still no word. I sent another follow-up, and still nothing. After about a month and a half, I figured they'd hired someone. It's fine, but it's wild how a company that claims collaboration and communication are their top priorities could ghost candidates. It was disappointing because I really liked the people I met.

It was an exhaustive and in-depth phone interview. If you passed that, they invited you for some more in-depth, grueling interviews. They really focus on your experience with venture capital financings. I had one person, who stated it was her last day but she was helping out, ask about my top 5 strengths. I also met with another woman who had tattoos and another whose office was a mess; they asked general questions about my skills and background. Both were part of the management team.