Sanity.io Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process began with the standard recruiter screening call. Following that, there were several more interviews with the hiring manager, other senior finance and accounting team members, and the VP of People. This whole thing took a few weeks. The recruiter was really good at communicating and trying to get interviews scheduled quickly. Some of the team members were on the east coast. Everything was done virtually. I didn't see the salary in the job description, but the recruiter told me on the first call.

The interview process kicked off with an intro call with the recruiter where we mostly chatted about my past experiences and why I thought I'd be a good fit for the role. Then, I had a conversation with the hiring manager, which was more of a discussion about my past experience and how it aligned with the role. Next up was a technical screen, which involved a set of about 7 questions delivered in a notebook. These questions were based on a dataset pulled from the IMDb API and could be tackled using either SQL or Python. If I passed the tech screen, the next step was a follow-up chat with two analysts to discuss my code and the assumptions I made. After that, there was another follow-up conversation with the hiring manager, where we went over the role again and they basically talked a lot about why I was a good candidate for the offer. Finally, there was a reference check. This part really got me annoyed. They tried to frame it as being about 'the people' and ensuring the right fit, but it felt like a waste of time. I gave them my references, they contacted them, and I later found out another candidate was chosen, even after I was left waiting for about two weeks for the offer. My advice is to be upfront and state clearly that you don't want your references contacted if other candidates are still in the running, especially if your references are busy. For a company that supposedly values experience, this whole process felt really amateur and unprofessional.

I first chatted with the Talent Acquisition Partner, who was friendly and knew their stuff. They gave me a good rundown of the company and the job, and we chatted about my past experience and what salary I was looking for. Then I talked to the Support Director, which felt more like a casual chat than a formal interview. They asked about my experience and how I work, and were super nice and listened well, even when I tended to ramble! The last part was a technical interview with the Support Director and the Support Lead. They sent over some info beforehand to help me get ready, which was great. In the interview, they gave me a case study and asked me to explain how I'd handle it and what my responsibilities would be. Sadly, I didn't do as well as I'd hoped and kind of blanked out, so I didn't move forward. I interviewed on a Friday and heard back by Tuesday. The rejection email was polite, kind, and gave me some useful feedback, which I really appreciated. Everyone I met was genuinely kind, helpful, and grounded. The team seemed to have a really positive vibe with low egos. From what I saw, it looks like a great place to work and develop.

First, I had a chat with the recruiter, then I spoke with the hiring manager. After that, there was a work sample and references check. It was pretty standard, nothing too crazy. The recruiter and hiring manager were both polite and organized. I actually liked the interview process even though I didn't get an offer in the end.