OPNET Interview Questions
& Process

So I had this 5-step interview process with OPNET. First, there was a quick 15-30 minute chat with HR. Then, a 60-minute technical call with an engineer. After that, I had to do a timed coding test at home. The fourth step was another 60-minute technical call to go over my coding test results with a more senior engineer. Finally, I spent a whole 8-hour day at their office in Bethesda, which involved product demos, two more coding tests, review sessions for those, more chats with mid to upper-level staff, and lunch. They seemed really focused on getting to know candidates thoroughly, especially checking academic backgrounds, like how the founders went to MIT and asked about my college GPA, which I found a bit surprising after being out of school for ten years. The engineers were all really smart and passionate about their work, some serious, some more laid-back. They mentioned if I got to the final day, they'd know if they wanted to hire me. But then it took them three weeks to get back to me, and my emails were brushed off, so I'm assuming it's a no. I felt they should have given a quicker response, especially since I took a whole vacation day for the final round.

The hire process starts with a 1-hour take-home test on routing where they expect you to solve a problem within that hour. After submitting your work, an engineer will call to discuss your answers. If you did well, they'll challenge you on alternative design and architecture ideas. If you do well with these, you'll have a half-day interview session at OPNET. This day consists of 5-7 interviews, some technical, some fit, and one with the CEO or CTO. You'll also have lunch with some current employees.

The interview process was long and drawn out but this is acceptable for a small company since they have to be sure about the people that are hired as they do not have unlimited hiring budgets. I started with 2-3 phone interviews then 7 on-site interviews and finally two more phone interviews before I was offered the job. The people in general seemed very amiable and easy going. The interviews were pretty challenging but they got easier as I cleared the first few stages.

So first they looked at my resume, then I had a phone chat with an associate vp of marketing. We went over my resume, and they asked the usual 'why opnet' and 'why marketing' questions. After that, I had another phone call with the vp of marketing. This one was tougher, about 45 minutes, mostly about my resume and how I'd bring value to Opnet. Since that went well, I got set up with someone on the marketing team. This interview was basically to see if I'd fit in. In the end, they hired someone who could start right away, and I couldn't.