Sonder Operations Manager Interview Questions
& Process

I applied and got an email from the Recruiter really fast, within 24 hours, asking to set up a time to chat. We then had a 30 minute phone interview a few days later.

I applied online and then heard back about two weeks later for a phone interview with the General Manager that lasted almost an hour. After that, I had a second interview with HR a week later where they asked similar questions and dug into my past experience. Then I got to the 'Sonder Challenge,' which is a big test you have 24 hours to complete. They were nice and gave me extra time and scheduled it for a day I was off. It had three parts: first, situational questions and defining things like 'exceptional hospitality,' second, running the operation and costs with charts and pros/cons, and third, a presentation on something I'm passionate about (I filmed mine). It was about 22 pages of typing, time-consuming but interesting. A few weeks later, I heard back my challenge was reviewed and I was invited to meet the GM in person. It was more of a vibe check and personality interview, and he was transparent about me being one of the final four out of 78 applicants. He noted I had less experience than others but some unique strengths. He told me to reach out by year-end for an update, which I did, but a decision wasn't made. I followed up again in early February and was told another candidate was selected. He appreciated my time and said he'd reach out for future opportunities. The GM was great, but the whole process took over three months, likely because they were building the operation from scratch. It seems innovative, but the process takes a while.

So there was like this initial recruiter/HR chat, then I talked to somebody who does the same job. Then there was this thing they called 'The Challenge' which was basically a huge questionnaire covering situational questions about scheduling and hiring and stuff. After that I talked to the Sr Ops Manager and then the GM of the area, some of those were Zoom, some were in person. The whole thing was super long. Like, a lot of time interviewing, plus this assignment which took like 8 hours, and then waiting forever between interviews to hear back. Seriously, after the 4th interview I heard nothing for almost 5 weeks. It's a lot to ask of a candidate, this super long, detailed, time-consuming process.