quip Interview Questions
& Process

I was contacted by Gency on LinkedIn, who was a really fast responder. We had a phone screen where he asked typical questions about my background, why I wanted to join quip, and salary expectations. About a week later, I was invited for an onsite interview. I met with four people from the marketing team, and it was clear from the start that it was an exciting time to join the company. Gency got back to me quickly after that, and I was asked to do a presentation the following week for members of the product and marketing teams. Usually, this would be a case study, but I presented my own ideas for how I could be successful in the role. After the presentation, I was invited back two days later to meet with another person from the product team, as well as Simon, the CEO. The hiring manager was really helpful throughout the process, giving me coaching before each interview to help me understand the company dynamics. It was great coming into the office; everyone was lively and welcoming, and they really wanted to learn more about me and how I fit the culture.

I applied online and heard back within a week. First was a phone screen, which was pretty straightforward. Then, I had a two-hour in-person interview with two product owners. They seemed nice. After that, I got an assignment to create a test plan. I was told there'd be another interview to go over it, which I thought was a bit much since it meant another trip. The second interview was with some developers and a product owner. They said I wasn't what they were looking for and passed on me. A few weeks later, the CTO contacted me, saying the job requirements changed and they wanted me to come in for another in-person interview. I'm not sure if I could have done better, but that's not the main point. It's frustrating to take off three days for interviews with the same company and not get clear feedback on why I wasn't chosen, even though I'm not desperate for a job. I understand people are busy, though.

The interview process for this Content Manager role was incredibly frustrating and time-consuming, spanning two months and ending with a retracted offer just six days before the intended start date. This happened even after I had already resigned from my previous job and handed off my clients. Communication was consistently poor, with significant delays in scheduling interviews and providing updates, often requiring me to follow up myself. The first interview had low engagement, with only one interviewer present and asking repetitive questions. Following this, there was a 14-day gap before the next interview, and a further 7 days passed before I received any update after reaching out. I was then given an extensive 12-hour project to complete and present to upper management, which felt excessive. Throughout the process, there was a general lack of clarity on timelines and a pattern of delayed responses, even during offer negotiations. Red flags included a lack of clarity on company values, an employee expressing being overworked due to staff turnover, and indications of poor work-life balance with the CEO emailing at all hours. Despite navigating these issues and extending the offer, it was ultimately retracted, with a polite but unhelpful suggestion to apply for future roles.

I had a quick phone chat with their HR manager, then I did a writing sample. After that, I was invited for an in-person interview that was about 45 minutes long. It felt more like a casual conversation than a formal interview. The interviewers were really nice, and I tried to be both personal and professional, which I think worked out well. They then asked me to come back to meet with the CEO, but I had already accepted another job offer and had to withdraw my application.