Notion Labs Interview Questions
& Process

It was a standard interview process. Started with a phone screen, then a technical screen, and finally an onsite interview with the usual rounds like technical, system design, and values. The interview questions are more practical and not strictly LeetCode style, but they do require knowledge of data structures and algorithms, so it's good to keep those skills sharp.

Interview process moved fairly fast. Met with hiring manager and had a good conversation. They expressed that they thought joining this role might be on the junior side based on experience, however, it was not something that concerned me. Completed assignment and was scheduled for another round of interviews. Had conversations with another recruiter and coordinators for a live scheduling assignment. Shared a lot of how I was thinking and looking at the situation. Didn’t make it past this round and was told my thought process was unclear. However, the assignment and live problem solving were clear in my thought process. Apparently, the “talent bar” is set really high, even for some one that the team thought this role be too junior for.

The interview felt condescending and more like a lecture than a collaborative pair-programming session, making it hard to ask questions or think out loud. Technical and communication issues added unnecessary stress: the interviewer was poorly positioned, and audio/video issues made it difficult to see or hear her clearly, especially when I was screen-sharing. When I asked for clarification, she responded abruptly, and her suggestions for syntax issues were incorrect. She also let me struggle with a niche syntax problem for a long time instead of guiding me, which felt like it focused too much on specific syntax rather than DSA and problem-solving, contrary to typical SWE interview expectations. Towards the end, her comment about not having time implied I was slow, leaving me feeling discouraged and put off from future opportunities with the company, despite my initial excitement.

The interview process started with a Recruiter call, followed by a Hiring Manager chat. Then, there was a Peer interview, which felt a bit odd given my experience level compared to theirs. After that, a Cross-Functional interview took place, and it all concluded with a panel interview in front of three people. Honestly, the experience wasn't the best, as it seemed like different interviewers were looking for distinct qualities – some emphasized enterprise experience, while others focused on the ability to handle ambiguity and navigate through challenging situations.