SonderMind Interview Questions
& Process

The interview started off positively, but then took a turn and became confrontational with some of the leaders on the panel. While some people were great, others were so aggressive it would have made me turn down an offer. I felt like I was being interrogated at one point. I was given a project that was way too big for a manager role and seemed more appropriate for an entire team. They expected me to know how to execute something a whole team would handle and then they picked apart every part of my response. The expected outcome didn't match the job title or salary. We were asked to create a '90 day' plan, but before we could even discuss it, they asked what we'd do after 90 days, which felt unfair and a waste of time. Why give us a prompt and then immediately ask about things outside of it? They also expected us to build this plan with knowledge of the company's specific business model and best practices, which is impossible to know from the outside. It also seems like the company is unclear about their own business model and target audiences, or at least struggles to explain how they work with them and how the business operates. B2B and B2B2C are distinct models that require different strategies and channels. It was a really strange and uncomfortable experience.

The whole thing took about 4 weeks. It started with a recruiter call, then I was supposed to talk to the manager but waited over a week for a response. I had to follow up, and then a different recruiter got in touch. After that, I interviewed with the department manager. Next, I had an interview with two team leads who would report to me. One of them was a bit difficult to communicate with. This interview felt a bit disorganized, like it wasn't planned well and lacked depth. Then, I had another interview scheduled, but at the last minute, it changed to a different executive and a different time, which I managed. This interview went really well; the executive mentioned key projects and parts of the job that weren't in the description but that I had a lot of experience with and discussed how I'd fit in. They ended by saying, 'Hope to see you soon.' A few days later, I got a standard email saying they chose someone else who was a better fit. It's disappointing because I knew everything about the role, and the executive even pointed out that I had extra knowledge they needed. Despite the messy parts of the process, I'm not too upset.

The team seemed overwhelmed and unfocused. The recruiter was unfriendly and didn’t have much real information about the job. One interviewer said we had 30 minutes and she was going to jump right in, without even a brief introduction. I asked her to tell me a bit about her role, and she apologized and acted very embarrassed. “This is my life right now,” she said, which spoke volumes. I believe the team is overwhelmed and overworked. I was told the process would go quickly, since they wanted to hire right away, but I had two interviews (after the rude recruiter sent me through) and then heard absolutely nothing from them for 3 weeks. When I finally got a phone call from the recruiter explaining that they’d hired someone they were talking to before me, I had already written them off. I was excited about the company when I got the initial interview, but I think I dodged a bullet.

The interview started with a recruiter call, then had steps 2 through 5 which were 1:1 meetings with leadership, peers, and the hiring manager. The final step was a panel presentation. Even though the interview process was extensive, it has to be one of the best interview experiences I've ever been through. The recruiting team, Dan and Renee, went above and beyond to communicate, set clear expectations, and support me as a candidate. On top of that, everyone I spoke with in my 1:1 interviews were professional, kind, smart, and thoughtful. It got me really excited about the chance to work there knowing that these were the type of people I could get to work with. I appreciated that every question I was asked was relevant, and every 1:1 I had gave me plenty of time to ask questions myself. Very classy!