Syncroness Interview Questions
& Process

So first, I had a call with HR, just basic interview questions. Then I had a video panel with 3 people, but only 2 showed up. It was a pretty easy interview. My recruiter told me I was one of three new grads selected for the final round and I should expect an invite. Two weeks later, still nothing. I had to reach out to another HR person who said he'd handle communication from then on. The next and final interview was onsite. I met the engineering manager, then had a Zoom call with two remote first-year engineers. After that, there was a 1-hour written exam covering stress-strain curves and spatial awareness, which I mostly nailed. Two senior engineers reviewed my exam and interviewed me, asking technical questions and having me whiteboard a resume project. Finally, I had a 1-on-1 with the engineering manager about career goals and an engineering requirements exercise. He said I'd hear back in two weeks. The in-person part was great. Then, more waiting. A different HR person contacted me, explaining the previous recruiter quit. She mentioned potentially exciting news and an update. On a call, they said they wanted to hire me for a project they were bidding on, but couldn't extend a formal offer until the bid was awarded. They gave me a contingent offer, with a small signing bonus if I signed within a week. The bonus wasn't very appealing, so I said I'd accept once the offer was fully actionable. They then ghosted me. It was super unprofessional after all the time we both put in.

The interview process was quite extensive, involving four distinct stages. It began with an initial screening call from the recruiter, followed by a questionnaire using the STAR method that was distributed to all interviewers. Subsequently, I had a phone interview, then a video interview, and finally, a video panel interview. Because of competing job offers and the COVID situation, the fourth round of interviews was conducted online rather than in person. This final round consisted of a four-hour block where I spoke with different team members each hour. After that, I had to complete a technical assessment. It was beneficial because I got to interact with various individuals on the team, gaining a better understanding of the team dynamics, the company, and the job itself. However, it was a lengthy day of interviews. While I appreciated the opportunity to connect with people in different roles, four rounds of interviews felt a bit excessive. Some individuals I spoke with twice during the process, which seemed a bit repetitive. I believe this could have been streamlined into one or two interviews to be more efficient for both the company and the candidate.

The interview process started with a screening interview, followed by three separate panel interviews. Each panel lasted about 45 minutes and had 4-5 interviewers. The rank and file employees asked good questions about my background, experience, and skills. The management interviewers focused more on how I'd handle difficult situations like project overruns and managing project managers.

I applied online and then had a phone interview about two weeks later. After that, I had a panel interview the next week. During the in-person interview, they mentioned they wanted to hire someone quickly and would let me know by the end of that week. Unfortunately, I didn't hear back for another two weeks, only to be told they hired someone else. It would have been better if they had communicated the decision sooner.