Logikcull Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I really enjoyed Logikcull's interview process. It was a lengthy process, but by the end I felt like I really understood who I'd be working with and that there's a solid group of talented engineers backing this application. For the software engineer hiring process, there's a few calls and a coding exercise to start things off. The coding exercise took a while, but having hired candidates myself, I think those kind of exercises speak volumes more than someone can really show during an interview anyways. The coding exercise is discussed during the later interview sessions, so it's important to spend some quality time on your implementation and explain, or have explanations for why you did or didn't do something. Towards the end of the interview process, you have to devote a pretty solid block of a day to talking with everyone over a Google Hangout, but it may have been one of the most enjoyable blocks of time I've spent in an interview session. Everyone is so nice, knowledgeable and there isn't one of those awkward whiteboard interviews where the interviewer just leaves you there sweating bullets as you write every line of code. Also, there's no silly trivia questions or academic questions that you hear about at other well known companies' interview processes - practical, real world experience is what matters here. Communication throughout the process was great, I felt like it was really clear what the next steps were at all times - they were very transparent about what the next steps look like and what company perks are. Overall, I'd say it was one of the best software engineer interviews I've experienced, and I've been through quite a few interviews at this point in my career. Nice work!

This interview process was incredibly human-centric; they really put my needs first, which isn't the norm. I kept thinking about how well they treated me as a potential employee, and most engineers I met had been there for 4-5 years, which seems rare. It started with a conversation with the recruiter, Gazina, who was super welcoming – the best recruiter I spoke with across all my interviews (I talked to Slack, Peloton, and others). It honestly didn't feel like an interview; time flew by and we even went over. Then, I talked to the team manager, which was very informative. She asked about my goals, why I wanted to work at Logikcull, and my past accomplishments. Next was a take-home assessment, with a timeline of the weekend and a week max. They accommodated my vacation plans. After reviewing it, they sent a generous $1k Amazon gift card. Then, a virtual onsite with the engineering team, including reviewing my code submission with an engineer, a pairing exercise with an engineer and a designer, and finally, meeting the VP of engineering for a conversational, culture-fit check. Before the last stage, I filled out a questionnaire about myself, my goals, and aspirations. The final stage was meeting with the CEO, Andy, and CTO, Sheng. This was more cultural, but meaningful, especially as an Asian-American talking to leadership with similar life experiences. Overall, it was difficult to turn down; the most intentional interview process I've experienced, making me feel important and not just like a seat filler. If the timing were different, I would have accepted.

The interview process started with some initial phone screens, followed by a long take-home assignment which, although compensated with an Amazon gift card, wasn't really worth the effort. This assignment did offer a good look into the company, though, which was helpful in understanding the Bay Area startup with its remote engineering team and putting my job search into perspective. After that, I had a 4-hour remote interview via Google Hangouts with the CTO and engineering team, which included 1:1 or 2:1 breakout interviews. I received positive feedback throughout and thought it was a good match, but was surprised to hear nothing back after the final interview. While I appreciate the thoroughness in hiring decisions, there's no excuse for a lack of transparency. My experience suggests Logikcull could do better in handling the human aspect of hiring and being more accountable.