Samsara Recruiter Interview Questions
& Process

So, this recruiter director really needs to rethink how she interviews people. Just using AI for a few behavioral questions and not paying attention isn't going to help find good candidates. I had two interviews. The first was a standard HR screening, mostly about my background and some numbers, which is pretty normal for this job. The second interview was with the director. She was super late, like 20 minutes late, and only showed up right when I was about to leave. She seemed surprised I was still there. I wasn't really surprised, actually – I get that they must be swamped. And during the interview, it felt like she was buried in her own work the whole time. With AI taking notes, she didn't need to do anything, and honestly, there wasn't much to write down anyway. Even after I answered, she'd just stare at her screen for ages, not because of lag, but it just felt like it. That was rough. You wait 20 minutes out of respect, and then you get someone who seems totally checked out, like just showing up was enough. It was a real downer. She only asked behavioral questions, nothing about my actual experience. Maybe the first recruiter prepped her well since she's so busy? She spent 40 minutes just firing off like 6 or 7 behavioral questions. Behavioral questions are fine, but they mostly test how well you can prepare for exams, you know? Like drilling LeetCode problems, but what does that prove? That you can spin a yarn? Plus, lots of people just memorize STAR stories beforehand. Asking so many questions so fast makes it hard to give a perfect answer on the spot. And asking the same type of question over and over in a short time is also not great. As a candidate, I really wanted to say, 'I already answered this,' but I knew that wouldn't help. When it was my turn to ask questions, I asked things that really made her think about the team's daily work. It was clear she's smart and had thought about these things, which is respectable. But overall, it wasn't a great interview experience.

The interview experience wasn't the best. The director I interviewed with seemed unprepared and was just looking at my resume during the interview. She also mentioned a skill I don't have, which made the interview awkward since it was clear she wasn't going to proceed with me. She was also quite condescending, and honestly, the interview felt like a waste of my time. I get that it's an employer's market right now, but hopefully, she'll improve her communication skills. Also, their compensation isn't competitive.

The communication was great and the process went smoothly, leaving a positive impression overall. I appreciated the opportunity even though I didn't get the job. I met about 6 people and they were all very nice. I made it to the final round but didn't pass the final interview with the executive of that team. The hiring manager called me directly to explain they weren't moving forward, which I respected. I would consider reapplying for other roles in the future.