Shinola Interview Questions
& Process

The team seemed nice and the first couple of interviews went well and were interesting. They were clear in their communication during interviews. The very first communication was a bit odd and they didn't respond to me at all until I had a good experience meeting the design lead. In the middle of the process, they asked me some basic questions that we had already gone over during the first screening. The whole process took more than five weeks and involved several rounds, plus a request to do extra work over a weekend with a two-day deadline. It felt like they already had someone in mind but still didn't give me a clear answer. After I sent in the requested materials, the communication just stopped. Even after two polite follow-up calls and an email, I never heard back or got any closure. It felt unprofessional not to follow up, especially considering how much time I put in. My advice to management: if candidates spend weeks and do assignments, please give them an update or closure in a timely manner. A quick rejection email would at least show respect for their time.

If you have an interesting background and have worked for large companies in NY, LA, Seattle etc. Don’t bother. The interviewer was not polished, She seemed to be threatened by my extensive background, which she referred to as history and made a face. I think the brand is interesting but is still happy to be small and stay small and maybe some of the original people want to fight to keep their spot. If you want to grow bring people in that have a broader and more sophisticated background, and when they ask questions ask on how to grow the business, don’t just say this is how it’s done.

So first, there's an HR phone screen, about 30 minutes on Teams, camera off. Then, a technical interview with the Hiring Manager, that's an hour on Teams with the camera on. After that, there might be a take-home assignment, could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete. Oh, and just a heads up, not all positions require this assignment, some might skip it. Lastly, a final interview with a panel, also an hour on Teams with the camera on.

It felt pretty thorough to me. There were three interviews and then a drug test. They also had me do a dexterity test, but it ended up being pretty useless for the actual job I was given. It was a lot of fuss for nothing, sadly. The person from the hiring agency who interviewed me was really nice and helpful, though.