Redfin Program Manager Interview Questions
& Process

I was reached out to on LinkedIn by a recruiter for this Senior Program Manager role. After an initial email, I had an interview with the hiring manager. About two weeks after that interview, I got an automated email saying I wasn't selected. I thought it was strange because usually, if you interview with the hiring manager, they'd at least send a personal email or call to let you know the decision, whether it's an offer or a rejection. It made me feel like the company doesn't really value its candidates. Honestly, I'm kind of glad I got rejected if they can't even take a little extra time to be personal after I went through the whole interview process. Pretty disappointed with how they handled recruiting.

The interview process was pretty simple and fast. First up was a Recruiter Screening for 30 minutes, then a Hiring Manager Interview for another 30 minutes. After that, there was a Recruiter Prep session lasting 30-45 minutes, and finally, a 4-hour Loop Interview. Throughout these, the questions were mostly about my background, what I could contribute, and how I manage difficult relationships with partners or team members. I got a sense of the role from each person I spoke with, but I noticed some red flags that made me decide to turn down the offer. The job description seemed to be for a more junior role, but I was curious if they'd consider it for a senior position. I found out they are indeed looking for someone senior, even though the title wouldn't reflect that. I kept going with the interviews because of this. During the process, I realized there would be limited management support for the role, and they expected significant results in a very short timeframe, less than two months. I also discovered there were no established programs, meaning the person in this role would have to figure things out and get going immediately. This might have been acceptable with a senior title and some management backing to set realistic expectations. What also put me off was the changing compensation offer. The salary and RSUs were adjusted three times (first verbally, then again verbally, and finally in the official offer), primarily tweaking the RSU package from 'high' to 'low' and then back to 'higher' before I even negotiated. While the overall compensation was good, I was uncomfortable with a large portion of it and performance bonuses tied to RSUs vesting over four years. Plus, no 401K matching, no dedicated Orca card (just some reimbursement), slow PTO accrual, and the expectation of long work hours with minimal support also contributed to my decision to decline.

The process was really smooth. The recruiter was excellent at keeping me informed throughout. I felt like I was the only one being interviewed, which is good because you're judged on your own merit. They had me do 2 homework assignments that felt reasonable and they were considerate of my time. I had a screening, a phone interview, and then was invited to headquarters for 1 on 1 interviews in a circuit. Everyone was really friendly and easy to talk to.