nLIGHT Interview Questions
& Process

I interviewed with an HR person and it was an enjoyable and very conversational experience. It was thoughtful and informative, and we seemed to be on the same page. I was then invited to interview with other members of the HR team and it was very disconnected and cold process. At the time of the interview, I was told that this second interview was going to be conversational, and I would know by the end of the week. Instead, I was met with hurried and non-thought provoking questions that could have been easily Googled. Additionally at the end of the interview, I was told "We're running out of time, but do you have any questions?" This made me feel that the team was not only uninterested in my questions, but they had already tuned me out. I then had to reach out for a status of my interview, after the holidays some 12 days later, and was sent a canned response that I'm no longer in consideration for the role. No further insights or reasons were given. From one HR professional to another this was very disappointing and honestly cold experience.

I was flown out and put up for the night. I liked the company and the people. I had a full day of interviews and felt I did well with everyone. Then I interviewed with the CEO. He was 15 minutes late, which is fine, I get he's busy. He said he didn't have my resume, so he started setting up his computer. He asked me to start something, but he hadn't asked any questions. I said I was happy to wait. He eventually asked questions, like about my favorite college class, and I haven't been to college in 15 years. He then left and said something to the Contracts VP, and things went south. I don't know what happened, and nobody would tell me. When I was rejected, I was told I was unprofessional. I think he was on a power trip and I failed some kind of secret test. It's a crazy place. The reviews for this place are bad. It might not be worth it.

The first interview with the hiring manager was good. They were nice, asked good questions, and seemed to know their stuff. But then, the second interview was unexpected and kind of messy. The internal recruiter just called out of the blue and asked some basic screening questions. For the third interview, I had to put together a 45-minute presentation and then go onsite. I met with the COO, hiring manager, VP of HR, and some IT ops folks. It was a long day, about 5 hours, which felt about right for a director-level job. After the onsite interviews, things went quiet, and I had to keep asking for updates. They eventually told me I got the job verbally, but no written offer ever came. They gave a bunch of reasons why, like waiting for approvals because key people were traveling, and then that my references needed to be checked. It took almost two months, and then the recruiter called to say they were rescinding the offer. The reason they gave was that my resume didn't list a couple of short-term jobs, one that was only a month long and over 10 years ago. Instead of just asking about it, they immediately questioned my honesty and integrity. It was a really surprising and demeaning experience. As someone from an underrepresented group, I couldn't help but wonder if unconscious bias played a part in pulling the offer after all that time, just because of a couple of old, short jobs. The start of the process was fine, but the rest was one of the worst interview experiences I've had. I know things can get messed up during hiring, even when people try their best. Just sharing my story in hopes that someone else has a better time with them.

It started with a recruiter call, then a phone screen, and then a bunch of interviews, like a dozen. I even spoke with the CEO. Everyone I talked to was really nice. They didn't seem to have a script for questions. It was mostly just me talking about my past jobs and career.