Phunware Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process started with a phone screen with the direct manager for this role, who mentioned the position was to assist them. The next interview was with the VP of Sales, which was unusual given the marketing focus of the role. Things seemed okay until the compensation discussion. When I stated my salary expectations (after they declined to share the budgeted salary for the position), they said that 'many people take pay cuts to work here because of the growth potential.' This was a major red flag for me, and we mutually decided to end the interview process.

I applied at the end of July and got a call about two weeks later for a 30-minute intro phone call. After that went well, I was given a take-home assignment to improve the user flow and UX of Amazon's wish list feature, which I worked on over the weekend and submitted within the three days. Then they scheduled an in-person interview. When I arrived, the hiring manager had an emergency, so I met with two design managers instead, which also went well. A few days later, I noticed the job posting was reposted with a reset applicant count, which felt a bit off. The following week, they wanted a second in-person interview to see more of my work and meet the team. This second interview was 2.5 hours and had 4 rounds. I asked about the decision timeline, and the interaction between the design manager and senior designer seemed hesitant, but they said it would be next week. I still had hope since I was told I was a top applicant, but the job posting was reposted again. I asked the hiring manager, who said it was for a different department, even though they previously said it was the only web portal designer position and was back-filled due to a departure. It took about a month and a half, and they're still looking. They seem to be reorganizing their design team and processes, so they might not be sure what they need. My advice for future applicants: don't spend too much time on the take-home, your portfolio should be enough, and don't invest too much time until you're hired.

Applied through LinkedIn, got a call the next day from a software development manager for an initial phone interview. He went over my background and experience. Then, a Skype video call with an engineer, covering education, technical background, and questions on testing, cache, memory management, and software design. Since I'm stronger in iOS, I received a 2-day homework task for iOS and was asked for sample code. They didn't like my implementation for the homework, citing concerns about my decisions in the code.

Had a phone screen, then met with two managers. We talked about their products and the company's design process, and my qualifications. Standard stuff. The manager who would have been my boss said he was ready to offer me the job pending HR arrangements, and he'd get back to me in a couple days. A few days passed, I hadn't heard back, so I emailed him for an update. He replied with a generic email saying they weren't interested in making an offer. It was pretty unprofessional to tell me an offer was coming and then ghost me.