Samba TV Interview Questions
& Process

My first interview was disappointing. The interviewer spoke too fast and mumbled, making it hard to follow. It felt like they were reading a script instead of having a real conversation. They sometimes said unrelated or wrong things, like they weren't paying attention. It was frustrating and not productive because of the lack of clarity, engagement, and professionalism. It didn't make the company's interview process or candidate experience look good.

HR interview about expectations, what you are looking in the next job kind of questions. Then a coding interview (Python), followed by the Hiring Manager Interview. Then a System Design interview, an SQL interview, and an Executive interview. Lastly, a Culture Interview. After all of these interviews, they told me that they decided to hire in another location :D I did not know how to feel about it, probably I should feel good.

So I interviewed at Samba TV and it was a really great experience, very thorough but also moved quickly. They were professional but also really warm, and I got a good feel for the company culture. The recruiter, Andrew Havens, reached out first. He was super helpful, explained the whole process, gave me details about the job, and answered all my questions. That made me feel good from the start. Then I had my first real interview with the hiring manager, who was really nice and easy to talk to. We went over the job details more and I got a better sense of the team and what they expected. It was informative and I enjoyed it. After that, I had back-to-back interviews with a teammate and someone from senior leadership. Those were also good, friendly chats, more like actual conversations than tough questions. Everyone seemed really passionate about working at Samba TV. The next part was a case interview where I had to present my findings in person at their office to senior leadership. I liked the case because it showed me what the job would actually be like. Finally, I interviewed with the CEO, which was also a positive experience. The very last thing was reference checks. Andrew, the recruiter, stayed in touch the whole time and was really responsive. Since I had other interviews going on, he helped speed things up when he could and kept me informed. The whole process being so efficient and clear really showed me Samba TV has a great culture. What stood out most was how invested everyone seemed in the company's success and in each other. I felt a real sense of community and shared goals, which made me excited about the possibility of joining.

The overall interview process was straightforward, but it took an extremely long time, stretching over two months and involving five interviews. I had to repeatedly email the HR contact for updates or feedback. After the initial two interviews, they inquired if I would be open to interviewing for a similar but slightly different role, to which I agreed. Ultimately, no one was hired for the position, which made me suspect that there might not have even been a genuine opening. It was quite a letdown.