Octo Consulting Group Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

Octo's hiring process is designed to extract as much applicant information as possible, regardless of whether a position is actually open. They demand current salary details, upfront reference contacts, and state that failing to provide your complete work history (limited to 3 positions) will be seen as falsification. This suggests the company undervalues its workforce. It's also surprising that a consulting firm, claiming expertise in business solutions, struggles with a basic ATS, which is the buggiest I've ever used. If this is their external presentation, imagine the internal treatment.

It was an hour long review of my skills. The issue came up when they surprised me with a programming test at the end. I usually decline these tests since they don't reflect my work and can be tough. As expected, I saw the test and it required me to program six different solutions, each with an 8-minute time limit. That's not feasible for me. I've completed many tasks over the past 5 years and I don't want to be treated this way. I have broad knowledge but am not an expert in any one thing. I decided within 3 minutes that this wasn't for me. I closed it and emailed them. I'm content with my current job. You contacted me, I wasn't actively searching.

It was a Skype interview that covered technical and behavioral aspects, focusing on my past experience. I was given a use case to work through and discuss my thoughts and solutions. There were also analytical questions, and they asked about my interest in the firm and the position.