Sotheby's Interview Questions
& Process

I interviewed with Sotheby’s in May, and while I was initially very excited about the opportunity, the process turned out to be extremely long and disorganized. There were long stretches, sometimes three weeks or more, where I wouldn’t hear a single update, and then communication would suddenly resume out of nowhere. After an assignment and a few more rounds of interviews, there were no updates for about a month and a half. In August, I was told that things were moving forward and that I could expect paperwork in September. Naturally, I followed up a week after that timeframe, only to be met with complete silence. It’s now been about two months with no response, so I think it’s safe to say that the process ended without closure. While I understand that hiring can take time, I think the lack of communication and follow-through is extremely disappointing, especially after being told to expect paperwork to come through. It feels careless in this job market, where candidates invest real time and hope into these opportunities. All of the people I interviewed with were lovely. My advice to anyone considering applying is: don’t take the process too personally and definitely don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Even if things seem to be moving forward, be prepared for delays, or, unfortunately, to be ghosted.

Had a quick chat with HR to start. Then, a video call with the hiring manager, which was pretty standard. They were good about giving me a clear idea of what to expect next. The final interview was supposed to be in-person, lasting two hours, and involved meeting with four team members. However, just two hours before it was scheduled, HR called to let me know that due to some team restructuring and changes in headcount, they were no longer hiring for the position.

I went through 2 stages: first, a quick phone call to confirm work permit, salary expectations, and language certificates, as a specific language was a must. Then, I had an interview with the line-manager and head of department. We talked about general job duties, how the company is structured, and potential career growth. They asked me to share my motivation and answer some hypothetical questions about my approach and reasoning. The interviewers were friendly and provided detailed answers to my questions.

So I applied for the Senior Front-end Engineer role at Sotheby's and the whole thing took almost a month and a half. It started with an application on March 1st, then an intro call with HR on March 11th. After that, I had a cultural fit interview with the Engineering Manager on March 15th. Then came a programming interview, an online pairing session with a developer on March 28th. On April 3rd, I had a chat with the hiring manager and then a final roundup with HR again. Just when I thought it was wrapping up, on April 11th, I got an email saying the position was put on hold. Communication was a bit rough, and the whole process felt like a big time investment with an uncertain outcome, which was pretty disappointing.