Reliable Robotics Interview Questions
& Process

I talked to the FPGA Team Leader over the web. It felt like it went well, he mainly asked about my experience and background, then told me about the company and systems. He threw in a couple of basic FPGA technical questions. Then, he took the initiative to explain the rest of the interview process in detail: next up is a take-home project, followed by an in-person interview at their office. He also covered onboarding and relocation. We touched on start dates and timelines. Salary wasn't mentioned. I got a rejection email less than a day later. I reached out for feedback because it was odd to be rejected after a friendly initial interview where everything seemed positive, but I got no response.

I had a call with the Hiring Manager first, and then a technical interview was scheduled a few days after. Both the HM and the engineer I spoke with were good communicators. The technical exercise was a bit different than I expected since I usually only get data structure questions, but they gave me a several-page document and asked me to code a simulation. I didn't get the job, but the coding exercise was interesting.

So the interview process was pretty extensive. It kicked off with a 1-hour technical screen with the hiring manager. After that, I was given a take-home project that took me about 8 hours to complete, even though they mentioned they expected candidates to spend around 4 hours on it. I figured I'd already gone above and beyond. Then, I presented my project to the hiring manager and another team member for an hour. They mentioned they'd circulate it internally for further review before deciding on an on-site interview. Later that week, I got a call saying they weren't moving forward because my project's design lacked depth in certain areas. It was frustrating to invest so much personal time only to be told it wasn't enough, which I feel is disrespectful of candidates' time. I appreciated the manager calling me personally to deliver the news, but be ready to put in a significant amount of work on the take-home if you want a shot.

The interview process for the People Ops Coordinator role at Reliable Robotics has three stages before the final chat with the CEO. First, there's an initial screening, then a second-round interview, and finally a panel. The first two stages are pretty standard, focusing on your background and how you work. But the last stage is a long, 5-hour onsite that includes a mandatory 14-minute presentation to a group of stakeholders, no matter what job you're applying for. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend using your time off for this. When I asked to postpone my panel due to a scheduling conflict, they gave the job to someone else without letting me interview, which seemed like a bad sign. Weeks later, they reached out again because the person they hired didn't work out and asked me to come back. The whole 5-hour onsite felt more like a test of endurance than a proper interview. It seemed like they wanted to see how people handle awkward situations, which is how I felt the whole time. I even tried to make jokes to ease the tension, but it stayed stiff and unwelcoming. It wasn't a great experience, and I'd advise others to think twice before investing a lot of time in this process.