RetailNext Interview Questions
& Process

It started with a chat with a recruiter to gauge my understanding of the role, which wasn't really a screening. Then came the first screening interview with two team members focusing on SRE practices. After that, there was a coding interview with the backend team, followed by a System Design Interview with the Backend Team. The final stage was a chat with the hiring manager and another manager. The overall experience was positive until the hiring manager interview. Following that, the recruiter sent a couple of emails to schedule a meeting to discuss the outcomes. Despite my availability, she never set up the meeting, seemingly waiting for the manager's feedback. At that point, I realized I hadn't made it and requested written feedback, but after three weeks, I still haven't received any. Given the effort I invested (5 interviews), some response and feedback would have been appreciated.

The interview process was over 2.5 months long. Communication was initially good and efficient, involving a questionnaire, video submission, and an HR phone call. After this, I was given a task with two sections that mimicked the role's work. After submitting the task, communication ceased. My follow-up emails about my progress went unanswered. I messaged the HR lady on WhatsApp, who confirmed receipt and promised feedback soon. After several days, she apologized for the delay, informed me I'd proceed to the technical interview stage, and sent an email with interview preparation details. I prepared diligently. On the interview day, the two interviewers joined the meeting over 5 minutes late. One interviewer repeatedly turned her camera on and off without explanation, clearly multitasking. Her colleague seemed uncomfortable and tried to compensate. I was surprised by this conduct from such a professional company. When she first turned her camera on, I greeted her, but she ignored me and continued her 'hide and seek.' It was off-putting and disrespectful to me and her colleague. The questions deviated from the preparation materials, and my role-specific questions were different from the advertised position. They clarified it wasn't a 6-month maternity cover, as they were handling that work themselves, and the role was different. I knew my interview performance was weak and wasn't surprised by the outcome. However, the experience suggests poor team communication and a lack of regard for others. I was very disappointed as I was eager to work for RetailNext and respected them highly. My advice to interviewers: if you lack the time to give colleagues and candidates the respect they deserve, reschedule or split the interview. Time management is key. Companies should also remember candidates are actively seeking roles and deserve feedback, regardless of the outcome, to know if they are still in consideration.

This was truly the worst hiring process I've experienced! The hiring managers were awful. They never replied to emails, made me wait ages, and seemed unsure about the role or their own discussion points. I got through two interview rounds, then was given a take-home assessment. I spent two days on it, and it was really solid, especially considering my 16 years of experience in IoT. I submitted it and then waited a whole month just to get an automated rejection email. I had no idea if they even looked at it, and I didn't get a chance to present my work or get any feedback on why it wasn't a good fit. It was the same deal two years ago when I applied for this role and got the same kind of take-home assessment.

First, I had a phone screen with the Head of Engineering. It was about 30-45 minutes, and he asked me about the work I'd been doing. It wasn't super technical, and it went pretty well. Then, for the onsite, I had three separate one-hour coding sessions. It was pretty cool that I could use my own computer and my preferred editor. Each session had one exercise: two were coding challenges where I had to write code from scratch, and one involved debugging some existing code. They told me I could use any language I wanted, like C, Java, or Go.