Rocketrip Interview Questions
& Process

This interview process with Rocketrip took a lot of my time and energy, and it turns out the position at the level they interviewed me for might not have even existed. Companies really need to respect candidates' time and be more careful about assigning design challenges, which are basically unpaid work where the company gets your ideas. Here's how it went down and how much time I spent: First, an HR phone chat (30 mins). Then, a call with the SVP of product/eng (35 mins). After that, I spent about 3.5 hours getting ready for a case study presentation for my in-person interview, where I had to talk for 45 minutes about a past project. I usually prepare for this, but they wanted formal materials. My first in-person interview was 3.5 hours, starting with my presentation and then breaking out into sessions with product, design, and engineering folks. They liked my case study and said my background seemed like a good fit. The SVP of prod/eng hinted the exact title could be adjusted (it was originally VP of Design), which I now see as a red flag. Next came a design challenge prep (7 hours). They gave me less than 48 hours before my second interview to create a high-level flow and wireframes for a mobile app. I rearranged things and did my best, assuming this was the last step. My second in-person interview was another 3.5 hours. I presented my design challenge, and they loved it. I then chatted with a product lead I hadn't met before and finished up with the SVP of prod/eng, who said the work was great and seemed eager to wrap things up. TOTAL TIME: 18.5 HOURS. THE OUTCOME: I was surprisingly told they were "moving in a different direction." While I'd understand if they found someone better, I don't think that was the case. It left a bad taste in my mouth and made me more careful about asking clarifying questions in future interviews.

I applied online and heard back quickly. After a quick phone screen, I had a call with a senior engineer. A week later, I had an in-person interview with 5-6 people, including the hiring manager. The interview process felt uninspiring; interviewers didn't seem to be trying to sell me on the job. I felt like they were looking for reasons not to hire me and didn't have an 'ideal' candidate in mind. This made it hard to tailor my questions and background. Although I like the product idea, I didn't get a strong sense of their product org, which was discouraging. The interviewers were professional, and HR communicated well throughout.

I applied directly through a job posting and the Recruiting Manager reached out immediately. After our initial phone interview, I was invited onsite for a meet and greet with the RM. In this meeting, we really dug into my experience and discussed the role and expectations in more detail. Then I came back onsite the following week and met with the Exec team individually, including the CEO. We chatted briefly about my experience, and spent a good amount of time on any questions I had. I found this to be super valuable because it's important to me that I can get behind the leadership team. They then checked my references and I received an offer a week or so later. Super positive and seamless experience overall!

The staff at Rocketrip are an amazing group of motivated people. They moved quickly in between the different rounds of the interview process and were very accommodating and helpful. Rocketrip has a great company culture and offers VERY generous benefits. I would highly recommend Rocketrip to anyone looking for a fast growing, successful, fun, passionate company.