Mattersight Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 61 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
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17 roles · 61 reportsCandidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Mattersight.
Mattersight
Business Intelligence Analyst
Entry Average Positive experience Decline offer 4 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Technical screen Take home Onsite Background check Offer
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Coding
The recruiter contacted me on LinkedIn and got right to the important stuff like salary, location, and when I could start. After that, I had phone interviews with a developer and the hiring manager. Both chats were pretty laid-back, and we talked about my past work, how I handle technical issues with clients, and my career aspirations. The recruiter kept me in the loop and made sure I knew what the company was looking for. I then went on-site for the final stage, meeting with two developers, a CSM, and the hiring manager – a really impressive group. Each meeting was about 30 minutes. Before the on-site, I took a PI assessment, and on-site, I completed a Wonderlic and a technical assessment. The technical assessment seemed more about logic, as I didn't know all the answers out of the ~20 questions. Overall, it was a great experience. The recruiter was great at keeping me engaged and motivated throughout. The offer was good, and the team seemed great, with everyone enjoying their work and learning.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- Can you define what a Cartesian Product is?
- Is a Cartesian Product equivalent to a Cross Join?
- Are there best practices that suggest avoiding both Cartesian Products and Cross Joins?
Mattersight
Recruiter
Entry Average Negative experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Onsite Phone screen
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
I was submitted by a staffing agency and had an initial screen with them. Then I went for an in-person interview with the hiring manager, which lasted about 45 minutes. It wasn't super structured but we had a good conversation about what he was looking for, how my background fit, and details about the company and culture. A few days later, I had a 23-minute phone interview with his boss. They asked standard 'tell me about yourself and your experience' questions. I didn't hear back after the last interview, even after following up as instructed if I didn't hear back by a certain time. It's fine I didn't get the job, I've been rejected before, but I was surprised by the complete lack of communication afterward. This is the only place where I didn't even get a generic email saying someone else was chosen. I interviewed with an executive and thought I'd at least get that courtesy. Luckily, I found a full-time position now.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- Can you discuss current recruiting trends and their evolution?
- Can you tell me about yourself?
- Can you tell me about your experience?
Mattersight
Behavioral Analytics Analyst
Entry Difficult Positive experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Take home Onsite Background check Offer
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Case Other
Met recruiters at career fair. Had an on campus interview, and two weeks later was invited for an in person interview. The on campus interview was about 45 minutes and the interview in Chicago took about 2.5 hours. Prior to the on site interview, I took a personality test. When arriving at Mattersight after checking in, a recruiter will greet you and you'll take the Wonderlic test. I then met with four different people. One focused on my resume, another on behavioral questions, another on different scenarios, and the last on more logic/critical thinking problems.
Confirmed questions5 questions
- There's a vending machine with 50 different options. Each item costs 10 cents and you only have 50 cents. What's the most effective way to test the machine with that amount?
- Tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news to someone.
- Considering a social media platform you use, what's one improvement you could suggest?
Mattersight
Behavioral Analytics Analyst
Entry Average Negative experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Onsite Background check Offer
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral Other
So this company is in a really new field, which is neat. Because they're young, their hiring process was kind of weird. I had two phone chats first, one with HR and then another with someone who had done my job before. After that, they flew me to Chicago for the last round. That involved a Wonderlic test and then four separate interviews. It was a bit strange because one person was super awkward and another just wasn't friendly. Getting an update after was also a drag; HR was really slow to respond even though I mentioned I had another job offer. I had to chase her down a few times. The kicker? They didn't cover my travel costs to and from Chicago. For a place that seems to want top talent from good schools, not covering travel seemed like a miss.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- If you were dealing cards to four players and got interrupted, how would you resume dealing to achieve the same result as if you hadn't stopped, given you can't count or touch the dealt cards?
- Describe your sales strategy for an expensive painting when selling to Ben Bernanke and when selling to Mick Jagger.
- Between Ben Bernanke and Mick Jagger, who would you find easier to persuade to raise their bid on an expensive painting?
Mattersight Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Mattersight interview reports.
“Is a Cartesian Product equivalent to a Cross Join?”
Read reports →“A family of 4 (2 parents and 2 children) needs to cross a river using a canoe that can only hold two people (options: a child and a parent, 2 children, or one parent). How do they all get to the other side without anyone swimming?”
Read reports →“Between Ben Bernanke and Mick Jagger, who would you find easier to persuade to raise their bid on an expensive painting?”
Read reports →“Suppose you had to eliminate one state to result in 49 states instead of 50; how would you go about that?”
Read reports →“Which state would you eliminate if you had the chance?”
Read report →“There's a vending machine with 50 different options. Each item costs 10 cents and you only have 50 cents. What's the most effective way to test the machine with that amount?”
Read report →“If you had the power to eliminate one state, which one would it be and what's your reasoning behind that choice?”
Read report →“How would you identify the one machine producing lighter gold coins out of ten machines, given one machine produces coins that are one gram lighter, using only a single reading from a digital scale?”
Read report →“If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 61 Mattersight interview reports.