Studio71 Interview Questions
& Process

The interviewer wants to know about your work history, experience, and skills to see if you can do the job and if you'd fit in here. They want to dig a bit deeper into your experience than just what's on your CV.

So there were two interviews for the graphic design intern role. The first one was with HR, I think, just to screen candidates. The interviewer was around my age, like a college student. He asked me about one of my portfolio pieces and why I thought I was a good fit for the job and the intern program. After that, I had my second interview with the person who would be my supervisor. It wasn't super stressful, more like a casual chat. We discussed design interests and what the role would be like. They responded really fast and were very open to what I said.

The interview process kicked off in early October 2015 and wrapped up recently. First, CDS contacted me for an initial informal chat with the lead front-end developer. We talked a lot about the company, its vibe, and the job. He mentioned the next step would be a take-home assignment using React, followed by an in-person meeting if it went well. He really emphasized that they valued practical coding skills over pointless whiteboarding, which was a good sign. After sending in my coding challenge, there was a delay of about a week and a half from CDS. I sent polite follow-up emails, and they got back to me soon after, inviting me to meet the team. Things took a turn during the in-person interviews. I was supposed to meet two people for about 30 minutes each, totaling an hour, but it ended up being closer to 3 hours, with an hour and a half with each person. The first interviewer was a back-end developer who immediately asked me to query databases, which was odd for a front-end role, especially after they said they didn't like irrelevant whiteboarding. I tried to see it from a back-end perspective, but he seemed disengaged, checking emails and repeating questions. He was critical of my portfolio and back-end knowledge. When I asked him questions, his responses were dismissive. He also spoke negatively about the LA office compared to the SF office. He did admit that his input might not matter much for a front-end role. It felt like a waste of time. My second interviewer was the lead front-end engineer I'd spoken to initially. Despite my growing reservations, I decided to see it through. It got worse when he brought out a packet of questions, pens, and paper, reminiscent of the whiteboarding they claimed not to do. The coding challenge felt pointless since we never discussed it. It was a disappointing experience, and I'd caution other engineers.

I had a phone call with someone who works here, but it turned out they were also an intern. It made me wonder if it was a good sign that they trust interns or if I wasn't being taken seriously. It really felt like my interview wasn't taken seriously when she mentioned it was her last day. It was a strange experience talking to someone who was so open about not having much influence.