StackAdapt Interview Questions
& Process

We started with a quick 30-minute chat with the recruiter. Then, there were two one-hour technical interviews. The first technical interview covered a probability question and then a data structures and algorithms question. The second technical interview involved a pair coding session followed by another verbal problem-solving question. Finally, there was a longer three-and-a-half-hour interview. This last interview revisited questions similar to the previous ones, but they were a bit harder, and also included a question about ML systems design.

I interviewed for two analyst roles. The talent acquisition team was great, but the hiring managers were a letdown. After just a 30-minute hiring manager interview for both roles, they passed on me after 2-3 weeks, even though the interviews went well, my qualifications were solid, and I had adtech experience. I reviewed my performance and didn't see any reason why I wouldn't at least get a technical round. The questions were basic, about my background and why I'm interested in the company, and the interview wasn't difficult. I suspect the company might discriminate against people with disabilities like stuttering, neurodivergence, or anxiety, as 30 minutes isn't enough time to make a no-hire decision on easy, open-ended questions. Also, for the first role, the interviewer changed last minute, and I found out hours before, making my research on the previous interviewer and their team useless. I wouldn't recommend interviewing here because they seem to either discriminate or be unsure of what they're looking for (or both).

So, I first chatted with the recruiter, who hit me with a couple of simple data structure and probability questions, which was a bit weird for an ML Engineer gig. Then, I had the technical interview where they dug into my background and threw two more questions at me, again on probability and data structures. The data structure one wasn't super tough, but explaining a complicated solution without writing anything down was pretty tough. On the probability question, I thought I nailed it, but the interviewer wanted a formal proof, and I kind of stumbled because I was thinking about it differently. I didn't make it past that round.

I had a recruiter zoom call where they asked me general questions about my past experience and projects and about what I actually did on those projects. Then, I had an interview with a team member where I had to talk about my previous projects more. The team member told me about the team and the role, and then asked me one question. I was told to get ready to present my work for about 30 minutes and to answer questions about probability, statistics, and data structures. I think I didn't do too well because they only asked me one question.