Philosophie Group Interview Questions
& Process

The company reached out to me directly, not through an application. The first three interviews went really smoothly. I spoke with a co-founder, then two people from the team I'd be leading, and finally, the whole team. I was feeling pretty good because all the feedback was positive. But then, about an hour before what I thought was my final interview with the other co-founder (the CEO), I checked my email. I saw an email from one of the team members to me, and I was totally surprised. The co-founders had apparently asked a junior employee to send a rejection email, hours before meeting with the CEO. The really awkward part was when the CEO called me, and he had no idea about the email. I had to tell him that someone on his team had decided to pass, and a junior person delivered the news. Passing is fine, but this was a really unprofessional way to do it. The person making the hiring decision should be the one to deliver that kind of news, especially since they were the ones who reached out to me in the first place!

So, first there was a phone screen, then a 1:1 coffee chat, and then an on-site interview with three staff members that involved some kind of exercise. The role's been open for about 3 months, which makes me think it might be more about market research than actual hiring. They might be looking for free consulting or expertise. The exercise they gave was weird and didn't really align with the job description or what a Product Strategist actually does in a consultancy. It seems like this company, which is a design firm that focuses on prototypes, might not really understand how to identify or use strategy to create an MVP. Strategy, in my opinion, should come from market needs, not design or tech. But, this is a design firm looking for designers, and while the people are nice, they seem to lack a practical strategy focus, limiting them to prototypes. If I were looking to create prototypes, this could be a good fit, but they don't seem to do anything more in-depth. If it was a serious role, they didn't think I was the right fit.

Save your time initially by sorting out benefits and residency stuff in the first call with the recruiter, before you go any further. Make sure you're both aligned on your location, the kinds of jobs you're open to, and the specific benefits, rates, and perks they're offering. I was initially pretty impressed with what the recruiter told me and what I'd heard about the company on GlassDoor. The Design Strategist role, which seemed to combine UX research, team leadership, and product management, was really attractive. They apparently thought it was a good fit too, because after the initial recruiter chat, we went through several weeks of interviews: one with the Director of Product, a behavioral interview, a design/facilitation challenge with a design strategist and a developer, and they collected references and did 3 reference interviews. They then made me a good offer. I tried to negotiate a higher salary, but once I understood the actual monetary value of one of the perks (the company covering all health, vision, and dental insurance premiums), I was happy with the offer. Unfortunately, after all these interviews, this company that's supposed to be fully remote didn't seem to realize they were hiring someone not in California for a remote position. They changed their stance and said I'd have to work as a contractor for 90 days, after which they'd set up a business in Tennessee and offer me the insurance they'd promised. Since insurance is a big deal for me and my family, I asked if they could provide and pay for it during that 90-day contractor period (like they would for the permanent role, and since the need for me to be a contractor was more of a philosophical choice for them, not an issue with the role or employee status). They initially agreed, but then came back saying their legal team thought it was too risky, potentially making it look like they were trying to avoid paying employment taxes (even though it would lead to permanent conversion after 90 days). They then suggested just paying a higher hourly rate so I could get my own insurance. After a lot of research and talking to two different accountants, I agreed that would work (even though I'd end up paying more in taxes that way), and I let them know the plan. Three days later, I got the standard rejection message... Completely confused, I asked for some kind of explanation or closure. I'm glad I did, because it turns out there were several mistakes made in the process, but I don't think they were intentional or malicious. Maybe we can revisit this in the future.

The team was really nice and asked some good questions. I liked that they sent the questions beforehand; it felt like a more inclusive process. However, one senior designer asked me questions I had already answered, which made me wonder if she was paying close attention.