Playlist Interview Questions
& Process

First, there was a Hiring Manager Screen, covering backend fundamentals like Kafka, microservices, CAP theorem, and past experience. Then, a Data structures and algorithms round on Codility where I had to implement “Count Number of Islands”. Next, a Low-Level Design exercise on Codility to design a Parking Lot system. After that, a Technical Design Document Review on Codility for a ProductCatalogService to suggest performance optimizations. Following that was a Code Review exercise on Codility for an OrderMessageProcessor. Lastly, a Cultural Fit with VP, a behavioral round focusing on a proud project, its impact, and why I'm interested in Mindbody.

So first, we do a quick chat to see if you're a good fit background-wise. Then, there's usually one or more tech interviews where we check out your problem-solving, coding, and system design chops. On top of that, we'll have a chat about your behavior or if you'd fit into our culture, and then you'll meet with the hiring managers or other important folks before we make a final call.

This was an interview before mindbody/class pass was acquired by playlist. The interview could have been set up well, but it required the interviewers to act, and it was one of the weirdest experiences I've had. Interviewers were stiff and read from a script, not knowing how to switch between their interviewer role and the role they were playing. The VP asked about experiences from 15 years ago, with strangely specific questions totally unrelated to the job interview. My suggestion to the recruiting team is: if you're still doing the role plays, stop. Keep only the design doc review exercise, as that was helpful.

The interview process included an initial chat with the recruiter, followed by a Codility coding challenge that was much harder and longer than expected. Then there was an interview with the Director of Tech, which was a good experience. The final stage involved five interviews scheduled back-to-back over two days: four technical interviews and one behavioral. One of the technical interviewers was quite difficult and created a stressful vibe. After waiting a week, I received a generic, automated rejection email on a Sunday morning, which felt impersonal and inconsiderate.