Khan Academy Product Designer Interview Questions
& Process

Applied online. Got an email from a recruiter to schedule a call with a designer. The recruiter mentioned it would be a 1-hour portfolio walkthrough with some suggested talking points. Had a Google Hangout call with a designer, but they barely spoke or asked questions during the interview, seeming occupied with filling out a greenhouse.io form. Because the time was mostly for presenting my portfolio, I had no way of knowing if the interviewer had reviewed my resume or work beforehand. After a whole month, I got a generic rejection message. I get that they're probably busy, but this was one of the least personal interview processes I've experienced with a large tech company. Not having a proper screening talk as the initial step felt off. I also have a persistent feeling that they might favor female candidates to maintain gender diversity on their design team.

The interview process was expected to last around 5 weeks and involve 4 or 5 rounds, but I withdrew my application after the third interview because I had accepted another internship. That said, interviewing with Khan Academy was honestly one of the most enjoyable and worthwhile interview experiences I've had. The people I spoke with were great, very approachable. The exercises they gave me were also really engaging, and instead of feeling like a chore, they were actually fun to think through. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I'd probably apply again if the opportunity arises.

I got an email about a phone interview for the next day, lasting 60 minutes, and it was supposed to be a portfolio review. The interviewer was on time and asked a few questions before we spent most of the time looking at my portfolio. I was a bit surprised they wanted me to screen share instead of just looking at my website, but it worked out fine. We had a good conversation about my work and design philosophy, and they asked a lot of good questions about it. I had about 15 minutes at the end to ask my questions. The whole thing ran about 70 minutes. I felt it went really well and they said they'd be in touch. A few days later, I got an email saying I wasn't moving forward, and they wouldn't give any details or feedback, which was weird since it was my first time interviewing at a higher level with a company that just refused to give any feedback at all.