Sidecar Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process felt like a bit much. I had a phone screen that went for over an hour. Then the recruiter called me back about 4 hours later to finish up, and we talked for another 45 minutes. It seemed like they were reading from a script the whole time, and they asked me at least 50 questions over these two hours, with barely any real conversation. Two days later, I was invited for an in-person interview that was scheduled for two weeks out. The recruiter asked for my availability for another prep call, but then disappeared for about a week after I sent it, only to reach out two days before the interview for "interview prep." This call was almost an hour long. While I did get some useful info on how the in-person interview would go, it also felt like an interrogation and I felt scolded by the recruiter. The recruiter kept emphasizing that "the team wasn't looking for someone who lacks experience in paid." The actual interview involved a 30-minute presentation, followed by a three-hour chat with the team, which was pretty relaxed and easygoing. I heard back within two days, and the recruiter mentioned, "You know, I told you this was going to happen because the team wasn't looking for someone lacking paid experience." Other than that, I got no feedback or comments from the team. The whole process took over 6 hours, not counting the time to build the campaign and presentation. I know you have to put in the work, but the recruiter's unprofessional and unfair treatment was a lot, especially given the preparation needed.

It was a great and easy interview process. Started with a recruiter phone call, then a phone interview with 2 team members where we talked about my background and what I was looking for. An in-person interview was quickly set up for the next week. The recruiter was super helpful, giving me lots of info about who I'd meet. About 4 days before, I got a data set and a problem to solve, which involved some thought and building a model (using R or Python). The in-person part had two sections: first, I went over my solution to the problem, and two team members asked about the model, my methods, and how it could be better. Then, a group of team members asked about my past experiences and how I'd fit in. After the interview, I even hung out with some people to see if it was a good match. The next day, the CTO called and we had a long chat about the company's future and my potential role. Be ready to ask a lot of questions at this point, especially about the product, to show you've done your homework. The recruiter called that afternoon with an offer.

A recruiter contacted me in late July about the job. The first phone call was a standard screening: my interest in the role, what I'm seeking, my background, etc. The recruiter mentioned a data challenge would follow, but I didn't get it for a few weeks. I had to follow up to receive it, and surprisingly, it came with the answers. I did what I could with the data, creating pivot tables and graphs similar to the provided answers, and sent it back. After about three weeks with no response, I followed up again. The recruiter apologized for the delay and said the hiring manager wanted to interview me. I then received a detailed 2.5-hour interview schedule, including benefits and compensation info. I took a day off work for the in-person interview. Before that, the recruiter scheduled a 'quick call' to see if I had questions, which turned into another 40-minute phone screen. The in-person interview went well; I enjoyed everyone and really wanted the job. A week later, the recruiter wanted another 'quick call' to discuss how the interview went. I assumed an offer might be coming, but this call turned into an interview where I was grilled about my motivation for the role, conversations with family/friends, background check eligibility, compensation (asked for the 4th time!), my impressions of interviewers, the hiring manager's needs, and how I'd be a good fit. I was frustrated by the endless interviews and calls. At this point, the recruiter admitted she hadn't spoken to the interviewers and needed more time. I felt angry and emailed stating I needed a definitive yes or no by the end of the week. She agreed and scheduled yet another 'quick call' a few days later. By this point, I was no longer interested. During this final call, she shared the hiring manager's feedback and finally gave me a rejection. The whole process, from July 28th to mid-October, made me question the company's communication. The in-person interview was good, but the recruiter was disorganized and not upfront about the process. The repeated compensation questions and receiving the data challenge answers were particularly odd. I wouldn't recommend this process unless you have an inside connection to speed things up.

I had a phone screen with the hiring director, who was late. I mentioned I had a hard stop, but they ran over. I gave my salary expectations, and they weren't sure they could meet them. They scheduled another call, were late again, and said they might meet my salary if I did well. I went onsite for a 3-4 person interview, which was pretty standard. They didn't give me the floor access pass information beforehand. The hiring manager scheduled another call, and they were late again. They wanted to ask questions I'd already answered about the company, its competitors, and benefits (which are slim with no 401k match). They advertise remote work, but it's not a regular thing, even with permission. Finally, I had a call about the actual interview, and they were late again. Even with an offer, I wouldn't take it because they were consistently late for every call without any notice or apology.