Raisin Interview Questions
& Process

Started with a friendly recruiter call that laid out a pretty demanding process: a technical screen, reviewing a 'student's' code for a PR, then doing my own mini-project to create a PR, a demo interview, a sprint planning role play, and finally a chat with the hiring manager. Honestly, this is a ton of work for what's actually just a two-year contract, with a review only at 1.5 years. HR said most people get extended, but that's not exactly solid security, especially after all these steps. Another red flag was that the job kept getting reposted while I was interviewing, making it seem like they weren't serious about hiring externally or maybe it's just a formality for internal candidates. The first tech interview started nice but quickly became a 'trivia' session, asking theoretical questions about tech specs that felt like traps, trying to get me to second-guess myself. They also focused on tiny implementation details that are usually automated or caught by linters. It felt more like they wanted memorization than practical seniority. The scope was also unclear – I'd be responsible for four domains, a mobile team, and rotating stakeholders, but couldn't get a straight answer on priorities. Vague answers usually mean a 'crunch' culture. Given the compensation and contract type, it just didn't make sense with that level of responsibility. The code challenge was the most annoying part, a two-parter: first, review code from a 'student' that looked like it was done in under 30 minutes, making their mentoring claims questionable. Then, write my own code for a feature. My feedback on the 'student' code was pedantic, saying I 'struggled' with their internal libraries, which is weird for a Lead role where picking up a library takes minutes. They also critiqued my approach to multi-language support and performance, ironically things their own app seems to lack or do poorly. The whole process felt rigged, like you needed insider knowledge. For a fixed-term, in-office contract, the pedantry and lack of clarity make this a place I wouldn't recommend, not even for their products. It feels like they want to look like they're hiring externally but might be favoring internal moves instead of truly collaborating with new talent.

Recruiter rescheduled the call the day before. Call went fine, no unusual questions. I was told I would hear back by the following Tuesday but was not contacted until the evening of the following Sunday. They said they would not be moving forward with my application - which is fine. But when I asked for context and reasoning I did not receive a response. Overall I got the impression that this company isn't very organized.

The interview process at Raisin had 4 main parts. First up was an HR screening to chat about my background, why I wanted the job, and what I expected from the role. Next, I had a technical interview with the Head of Design where we dug into my design approach, how I work with others, and my experience overall. Then, there was a one-hour whiteboard session with the design team. We tackled a problem together and worked out a solution. The last part was a fit interview with a product manager and an engineer. We talked about how I approach problems using real-life examples. After that, there was a feedback call to go over everything and talk about the offer, which was a really nice and open way to wrap things up.

The whole process was really pleasant, and I always knew what was coming next. It was 5 stages long and I got feedback even after being rejected. It started with a behavioral chat with a recruiter where I also had to solve 2 logic puzzles. Then, I had an interview with a hiring manager about PM topics. Next was a logic interview with 4 questions. After that, I had a home assignment: 'How would you offer our products through Revolut? Create a roadmap.' The final stage was an in-person interview at Raisin where we discussed my home assignment.