Recorded Future Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

Got to the last steps but was rejected for business reasons, and they picked another intern who was returning instead of me, even though I had a verbal offer. The steps were: behavioral call, take-home assignment, discussion about the take-home, culture fit chat, and then the offer.

There were a few rounds of interviews, including a specific culture fit round. Things didn't seem terribly well organized. A fair number of the questions were seeking very specific answers/knowledge of specific methods. This struck me as particularly odd, as it has so little to do with how well or poorly I'd do the job. Overall, it wasn't generally super clear what was expected from each interview, or what exactly they were measuring (outside of whether or not I can rattle off method or class names for a particular framework). I'd still have marked the experience as neutral, as those things aren't terribly rare, but then they ghosted me after asking for references, which I found pretty odd. Overall, the process of the actual interviews seemed scattered and ineffective, though working with the recruiter was alright.

This was one of the best interview processes I’ve experienced in the last 10 years. It included four stages, with two technical interviews involving different teams. Throughout the process, it was clear that the interviewers were genuinely interested in hiring the right person. It wasn’t a typical quiz focused on memorization or whiteboard coding. Instead, they evaluated how I think, whether I could understand how complex analytical systems are built, and if I could design and implement one myself. I wish more companies would adopt this style of interviewing rather than relying on pointless LeetCode-style problems. In the final stage, I had the opportunity to speak with the VP and ask questions about the company, the team, and more. It was an extremely pleasant experience, and I truly appreciated that they took the time to speak with me, even while on vacation.