Planhat Interview Questions
& Process

I wanted to share my interview experience. It was unprofessional, especially the feedback part. They seem to want a cookie-cutter sales person and not consider individual strengths. I interviewed at 9pm to accommodate their US time zone, but the feedback was bad. The agency recruiter said the hiring manager was 'on the fence.' This is not helpful. My conversation with Victor was good, so the feedback was a shock. They really need to improve their recruitment process to give specific, actionable feedback. At this level, candidates deserve better for the time they put in. Vague feedback is unacceptable and makes the company look bad. Candidates who are flexible, like me, deserve detailed feedback.

I submitted an online application and then had an interview a few days later with a mid-level Product Manager. The interview lasted 30 minutes and consisted of mostly pre-determined rapid-fire questions. While the questions were reasonable, the interviewer didn't inquire about my background or motivations, focusing entirely on my performance in the rapid-fire segment. I felt this format didn't allow him to gain a comprehensive understanding of me, beyond what the questions directly assessed. However, the interviewer was very pleasant and welcoming, and he kept me informed both before and after the interview.

The pre-interview involved recording answers to questions about interest in Planhat and career path. The actual interview started with an initial chat with the 'QA Lead', who now acts as a 'Recruiter' and seemed to lack QA experience. This title changing internally and externally raised concerns about company professionalism and team member reactions. Next was a technical exercise and review, planned for a single 3-hour meeting, which felt dismissive of the applicant's time. A major issue was the interviewer's unprofessional reaction to the salary request, which was met with amusement and a comment about expecting 'the best of the best'. The technical test, shared via Github, had two parts: an end-to-end test (any framework allowed for a given scenario) and an API test (automating tests based on provided endpoints). The allocated time for each part was 45 minutes (totaling 1.5 hours), reduced from 2 hours, which was evident in the project setup. The feedback received for questioning the time limit was, 'we'd like someone who is very fast and can work within the given time.' This, combined with the salary reaction, created a negative impression. The overall process is very lengthy and time-consuming.

I was referred by someone who works at the company. The whole process went pretty quickly, only taking a few weeks. I got to meet important people early on. I was really drawn in by how genuine, smart, and persistent they were. The interviews were really in-depth, looking at Planhat's vision, goals, and values compared to my own. My interviewer was clear about what they were looking for, the kind of mindset common at the company, and how Planhat plans to grow and succeed. They wanted to understand my thoughts on the SaaS industry and Customer Success specifically, what I've learned from past roles, how I handle tough situations, and what truly motivates me. The main goal was to see if I was a good fit for the company and if it's an environment where I'd thrive and do my best work. I felt strongly that it was, and my experience so far has been even better than I expected!