Periscope Data Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process involved multiple rounds. The engineering lead and CTO were intelligent and insightful. However, the CEO appeared immature and insecure, frequently avoiding eye contact by looking around the room instead of at the interviewer. The overall team culture seemed highly political, with a tendency to use candidates' statements against them. They expected politically correct responses regarding past experiences and challenges, and an honest assessment could be framed as a sign of failure. The recruiter maintained a friendly demeanor but was primarily gathering salary data.

The recruiter had a good chat with me about my past experience. We got along so well that she set up a technical video call with the hiring manager right then. The hiring manager asked me to write some basic SQL and draft an email to a made-up customer. The very next day, they asked for my availability for an onsite interview. Once onsite, the hiring manager had me sketch out on a whiteboard how I'd create different dashboards and also write some basic JavaScript, which I felt really good about. Then, out of the blue, I met with the COO and the Head of Sales Engineering. These chats felt positive and were mostly about cultural fit. After making me wait a week, they passed on me for future candidates they thought might be a better fit, which is still confusing. The hiring manager seemed a bit eccentric and it was hard to gauge her. The interviews focused heavily on my coding skills, not so much on my previous work. Recruiter Jen was great, though, prepping me for each step and keeping me informed.

Applied on their website. First, had a call with a recruiter. Then, a video interview with the team manager, which involved writing SQL queries in Periscope Data and composing an email to a customer in Google Docs. About a week later, I got an invitation for an onsite interview, but it was delayed by three weeks due to their vacation. The onsite interview started with an hour with the team manager, where I again wrote SQL queries and explained diagram results. The next hour was a role-play: simultaneously responding to chats from two other engineers while another engineer assisted with product questions. I also had to explore their product to find answers for the chat questions. After that, I had lunch with some team members. The final hour involved writing an email to a customer about a new feature in Google Docs. It was a very casual interview, with no behavioral or technical questions beyond SQL. Two days later, I got a rejection email with a generic response. My advice for doing well is to respond to chats quickly, as it seemed really important to them.

The whole interview experience was great and really showed the company's values. It gave a sense of the culture and the company's positive growth trajectory. Everyone I spoke with seemed genuinely interested in understanding my working style, technical skills, and how I'd fit in. The process started with a message on LinkedIn, then a call with the recruiter, followed by a chat with the hiring manager. After that, there was an onsite panel interview, and finally, an offer. The recruiter stayed involved throughout.