Pulley Interview Questions
& Process

So this was my experience first it was a 30 minute call with a recruiter. Then you have to do a case study, it took me about 2-4 hours to analyze the data and finish the 2 pages. I really didn't think the case study was appropriate for a support role, it felt more suited for a lead or senior position. After that, I had a 30 minute meeting with the hiring manager to discuss my case study findings and reasoning. The next step was a 30 minute interview with the director, focused on project management questions, which again felt odd for a support role. The final interview was an hour with Yin, a co-founder. They really focus on your successes and failures and the outcomes. I felt really drained after so many questions. After 4 days of no contact, I got an email saying they went with someone else because they were changing the role and that person had skills I didn't. It's an intense process, maybe better suited for leadership roles, not customer-facing ones.

The interview process started off strong with four interviews with the engineering team. These conversations were enjoyable, featuring smart and respectful interactions, and even allowed the use of AI tools. However, the experience declined during the final interview with the CEO, Yin Wu. She joined 15 minutes late, setting an unprofessional tone. Initially, she asked about my background and feedback from past colleagues. The interview took a turn when she asked me to rank my job priorities, and I placed work-life balance above company mission. This seemed to be an unwelcome response. When I inquired about negative Glassdoor reviews and the previous layoff of the engineering team, she termed it a "strategic decision" due to the team being too junior and couldn't guarantee it wouldn't occur again. She also stated that her definition of work-life balance involves prioritizing her children's needs, with all other time dedicated to work, and that working beyond standard hours is expected at a startup like Pulley if deadlines demand it. She concluded by suggesting I needed to determine the type of company I wanted to work for, implying the process wouldn't continue, despite her team reaching out to me. I left disappointed, not due to not getting the job, but because the engineering team seemed great and deserved better leadership. Based on this and past employee feedback, I advise software engineers that job security is precarious and leadership doesn't value a healthy work culture.

First there was an online coding challenge, which they called a 'nerd-sniper' challenge, but it was easy enough that ChatGPT could solve it. After that, I had a phone call with a recruiter who was really nice and communicative. She offered me a choice between a frontend or backend take-home assignment, and I picked the frontend one. Then I had a technical Zoom interview with an engineering manager where we talked about my take-home submission and I had to add some features to it. That went well. But the next interview, a 'culture' interview, was really bad. Two people with the same name asked me tough questions about past work experiences. They ended the interview way early and just said they'd be in touch.

The interview process at Pulley was quicker and had fewer stages than typical startups or scaleups, and way less work than FAANG interviews. First, I had a 30-minute 1:1 with the hiring manager about my recruiting strategy, the roles I've handled, and my past company and team experiences. Next, there was a take-home assignment that focused more on my genuine thought process rather than just my communication skills. I spent about 1.5 hours on it. The final stage involved discussing this assignment with the hiring manager and the team. Overall, compared to other Series B->C startups and FAANG companies, this process was quite transparent and a positive experience.