Remitly Interview Questions
& Process

It was a really long interview process, with 6 rounds, each about 45 minutes. Felt like they didn't respect my time. I talked to the hiring manager and then a bunch of people from other teams I'd be working with. Honestly, about half the interviewers seemed unprepared and didn't seem to care. One person was really tired, yawned a lot. After all that, they rejected me for not having enough relevant experience, which was frustrating since it was all on my resume. Also, they posted the same job again in the US a few weeks later. Another job I applied for got canceled mid-process. Seems disorganized, like they don't know what they're looking for.

The interview process typically involves an initial screening with the hiring manager, followed by three technical interviews, and then another screening with the hiring manager. Overall, it was acceptable, aside from the interactions with the hiring manager. During the first meeting with him, he was late and appeared not to have reviewed my resume, as he had to read it as the meeting began. In the second meeting, he asked the exact same questions from about a week prior. He seemed disengaged and asked very specific questions about solving their particular technical issues, making me question if the job listing was genuine, especially considering its age. In both instances, his communication of the questions was poor, and I was frustrated by the apparent lack of understanding of my responses.

I applied in early December 2024. About four months later, in early April, a recruiter reached out about a position. They asked if I'd be interested in a different role, but it was too junior for my 25+ years of experience across various companies and fields. I told them it wasn't a fit and asked why they proposed it, wanting to understand what went wrong. The recruiter then had a call with me, asked standard questions about my background, and shared my profile with a couple of teams. One team, led by a director, was interested and scheduled an hour-long Zoom call. The rest of the process took about two weeks. The initial interview went well; it was a discussion about my experience, the project at Remitly, and so on. While the technical aspects of the project weren't particularly exciting, I was impressed by the director and what he shared about the company and future plans. He wanted to move forward, and the next round was scheduled: four one-hour "virtual onsite" Zoom interviews over two days with four different people (two managers, one senior manager, and another director). All were supposed to be behavioral. Behavioral interviews can be either very formal, seeking specific examples, or more conversational, using questions as conversation starters to gauge your thinking. One of the four interviews was the formal type, with questions like "tell me about a time when you received challenging feedback." This was the worst interview I've had in years. The interviewer wasn't interested in my learnings or how I handle situations but demanded specific examples. When I gave an instance of receiving incorrect challenging feedback, they interrupted to ask for an example of correct challenging feedback. Afterward, I tried to ask about their interview approach and rubrics, but they refused to discuss it. Two other interviewers later happily explained their process, so it was a personal choice not to engage. After that formal interview, I considered withdrawing, as these types of interviews often indicate a low-quality process and I didn't want to work for such a company. However, the other three behavioral interviews were much better. Although they included standard behavioral questions, it was clear the interviewers were more interested in getting to know me than following a script. I really enjoyed those and would have been happy to work with those interviewers. Then I got rejected. The feedback was that interviewers didn't get the details they wanted and felt my answers weren't specific enough, and they didn't see enough stakeholder management experience for the role. I understand I can't please everyone, but I believe if they wanted more details, they should have asked. The hiring manager also mentioned wanting to mentor the next generation of engineers, suggesting even if I lacked experience, it wasn't to the point of being hopeless for mentorship. Remitly remains a mystery – it could be corporate bureaucracy or a great place to work, I saw signs of both. I would have gladly worked with four out of the five interviewers and would have found it useful to understand why things went wrong with one. But overall, it feels a bit nonsensical and dishonest, hence the negative rating.

Remitly uses a situational interview process to see how your experience matches the role and company culture. You'll talk with people from different teams, even those you might not work with directly. Each talk is about an hour long and very interactive, getting into specific situations. You really need to know your stuff, as surface-level knowledge won't cut it. They do make it a comfortable setting though, giving you plenty of time and help to explain your answers well. It's a good way to check you out from different angles, making it interesting and informative.