iota Biosciences Interview Questions
& Process

So I had a phone screen with the hiring manager first. Then a tech interview with a junior engineer, but their internet was super spotty. After that, I had an onsite interview. It was weird because there was no real agenda or list of who I'd be meeting or what their roles were, even though I asked for it. I only ended up meeting one person who was actually on the team. Another person seemed to be pulled from their work just to interview me, no warning or anything. A C-level department head was supposed to be there but showed up late, so the other interviewer and I just awkwardly waited around. That C-level person didn't even seem to know anything about my field, which was surprising since I thought that's why they were interviewing me. They were also pretty disengaged during the interview, like yawning and looking out the window. After they made an offer, I had to push to meet with a few more people, ideally ones who actually understood the role and who I'd be working with. That took a few days. They didn't even ask for references, and they missed that I'd worked with some of their current employees before, which would have been easy to find on LinkedIn. Honestly, I regret taking the offer.

The interview process involved a series of phone calls, starting with a recruiter call, followed by conversations with the hiring manager and a direct report. I then had a follow-up call with the hiring manager. During the initial interview, the hiring manager asked me to elaborate on my resume, stating it was too generic. Oddly, they then indicated I provided too much detail, and seemed uninterested. Despite this, I was extended a 3-month contract offer, which I declined. The overall experience felt condescending from the hiring manager, who showed a lack of interest and even read parts of the job description aloud when asked about required skills. They also mentioned the company website was inaccurate. The calls were consistently 20-30 minutes late, which felt disrespectful. My advice for the company would be to provide immediate feedback during interviews and ensure job offers align with the original posting. Late calls and blunt, uncaring feedback suggest a poor work culture, and I'd caution potential hires about this team. It's important to remember the tough job market and treat applicants with respect, as this impacts the quality of candidates hired.

I went through about 3-4 rounds of interviews, each with one or two engineers. Before the interviews, there was a coding project that was clearly related to the job, involving clock-crossing, bit-growth, and some basic HDL code. During the interviews, I was asked a lot of digital logic questions that you'd expect in a Sophomore ECE course. It felt like the interview wasn't very well planned, with a lot of repeated questions. They asked about the design and coding project. I got the impression their suggested solutions, especially for clock-crossing, were unnecessarily complex or not the best approach. I was hit with many questions, but when I asked about their thoughts on design and general coding, I was met with blank stares. While some interviewers were pleasant and knowledgeable, there was a definite vibe of arrogance and lack of experience. I eventually accepted a job offer on the east coast that paid more than their offered salary range and benefits.

The interview process had several stages. I talked with important people from other departments. The leadership team got back to me fast and I got a good offer with a great salary and benefits. They didn't give me an assignment.