TechnologyAdvice Interview Questions
& Process

It was a series of interviews, starting with HR, then the Hiring Manager, followed by the department team, and operations. The process culminated in a 5-6 hour 'test drive' which included a mini-presentation. I found it to be time-consuming, especially since candidates receive no clear feedback after 2-3 weeks of unpaid tests. It was hard to gauge my performance or how I compared to others. The only hint I got was that they relisted the job posting just three days before sending a rejection. They seem to be searching for an unattainable ideal candidate, and there was a lot of talk about their 'culture compass'.

It started with an internal recruiter call, which was easy. Then, I had a second stage with a team lead and the COO, where they asked quite in-depth but repetitive questions. The third stage involved a very extensive task that took me over 3-4 hours, much more than I anticipated. I got an acknowledgement email for the task, but within 15 minutes, I received a scripted rejection. I questioned this with the recruiter, who said I was still under review. An hour later, I was invited to a final interview for the next day. However, late in the evening, the interview was cancelled, and the recruiter stated the position was closed due to business needs. I asked for compensation for my time and effort, but haven't heard back yet.

So, the interview process was quite something, went through a few steps: first up was HR screening, then a skills test, followed by meeting the hiring manager. After that, I had a panel interview with some peers, and then a work trial. All in all, it took about a month. The HR person was great, super clear and helpful. The hiring manager interview was cool too, asked some good tech questions and we had a nice chat. But the peer panel was a bit rigid, they seemed to want very specific answers and weren't too keen if you went off-script. The work trial was also tough, making a project plan in under an hour felt more about speed than actual ability. I was hopeful after all that, but got a rejection email after waiting over a week, which was a bummer since the job's been up for ages. Makes you wonder if they know what they're looking for. It's a solid process overall, but the peer panel and work trial could definitely be better. Companies should try not to make things too hard or take too long.

So I started with an application, then HR reached out for a video call to see if I was a good fit. After that, I had a weekend skills test, and if I passed, I interviewed with the hiring manager. The next step was a half-day virtual "test drive" where I met some team members and did two tasks. It was a bit stressful, I felt a bit out of my league, but I explained my efforts and where I knew I needed to improve. For context, I didn't get the first job I applied for there, but I liked the culture they talked about, so I watched for new postings and applied when I saw a role that seemed right, which led to this job.