Reaktor Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online. A recruiter contacted me for a 30-minute call. Then, I had a 1.5-hour 'Attitude' interview with behavioral questions. After that, a 2.5-hour technical interview with two interviewers. On Friday, the recruiter emailed about moving forward, and we had a call to discuss salary and preferences. She mentioned verbal approval and an upcoming offer. Two hours later, she called back stating a misunderstanding and that the decision wasn't final as the interviewers were on vacation for 20 working days. I waited, no contact. I emailed, no reply. After 5 more days, she called again, informing me they weren't hiring due to lack of projects and preference for existing employees. This was a bad experience due to the long interviews and unprofessional recruiter communication.

Interviewed for their manager position. There were 4 rounds over 4 weeks, which felt like a waste of time. By the third interview, I realized they didn't seem to know what this role should actually entail. It seemed like a mix of different duties, expecting one person to do many things. I'm not even sure if this was a real position they were hiring for. The main thing I noticed was that the pay didn't match the long list of responsibilities.

The first interview was a standard recruiter call. The second interview involved a psychology test. They said there are no right or wrong answers, but I think they can really judge who you are without much basis or facts. I'm not sure they can really find the right fit with this process unless you give really bad answers or opinions. It's nice they care about who you are as a person, but it could be a trap. They want to hear negative stories about your past job or experiences to see if they can spot your weaknesses and make conclusions. For example, they asked: 'Tell me a task or something you were involved in where things went wrong?' I told them that a few years ago I overcomplicated a task, which probably happens to all developers at some point. I made it clear it was in the past and that now I always aim for the simplest, most efficient solution, but they might have misunderstood and thought I'm not efficient. They also asked, 'Tell me a period of time when you didn’t feel happy at your job?' I told them that in my current role, for about 2 months, not much work was coming in, which made me feel a bit bored. However, I always kept myself busy and even explained how. I also took a holiday during that time, which is probably the best you can expect from an employee; it's better to take time off when things are quiet than disappear when there's a lot to do. Who knows what conclusions they made from this answer. They also asked, 'Tell me something you did that got you excited like a kid?' Coincidentally, I had a story related to that, so I guess I answered this one 'right'. But it makes me wonder, what if you say, 'No, I haven't done anything exciting recently, I just went grocery shopping'? Would that be wrong? And why? I consider myself a positive, active person, but realistically, life isn't thrilling every day; you go through phases. I'm confident there are people who haven't done anything exciting in the last few weeks but still do a fantastic job, but you'd better have a cool story for this question, or they might draw the wrong conclusion. I tried to be myself during the call (as everyone should), but it's risky. You'd better play it safe, be political, and give the answer they more or less want to hear. Again, they want stories, and if you don't have interesting ones, you might need to make something up, otherwise, your chances of rejection are higher. It's a psychology game in the end.

It was a friendly, thorough interview process, casual and with each step clearly communicated. No design test was given, just several chats with employees of different levels. It gave the impression of a good place to work with smart people. As a candidate, I was invited to ask any questions, and the answers felt genuine and thoughtful. Apart from showcasing some of my work for the interview, the process didn't need much prep. I personally find reflective conversations harder than a structured task or challenge. Even though they were taxing, the talks were useful and helped me sort out thoughts I hadn't voiced before. If I could give any advice, it'd be to take some personal time before interviews (if possible). My last one was right after back-to-back work meetings, making it much harder to focus than calls I had on relaxed mornings.