Tempus AI Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I applied for a senior software engineer role and the process went as follows: First, an introductory call with their technical recruiter. Then, a take-home assessment with 3 technical tasks. After that, a call with the engineering team lead. Finally, a virtual on-site with a 1-hour live coding exercise, a 1-hour system design, a 30-minute call with the product manager (behavioral), and a 30-minute wrap-up call with the engineering lead (behavioral + light technical). I also had one final 45-minute live coding task. Overall I thought the process was very fair. The people I spoke to were friendly and the recruiter was very responsive. While I didn't receive an offer, I thought it was a good process and would recommend Tempus if you're considering interviewing with them.

So I applied online and a recruiter hit me up right away to set up a phone screen. It was super short, like under 15 mins. They mostly just explained my background back to me. Then, they told me I had a coding challenge waiting on Codility. It had 3 questions: 2 algorithmic and 1 SQL, and it was timed. After I passed that, I got invited to a virtual onsite because of COVID. The onsite had four parts: a 1-hour coding exercise with 2 engineers, a 1-hour systems design chat with 2 engineers, a 30-minute meet-and-greet with the hiring manager that included a quick coding problem, and a 30-minute chat with a product manager. The day after the onsite, the recruiter messaged me saying the feedback was good and they'd call the next day with more info. Four days later, the recruiter called to talk about 'feedback and compensation'. They said again that the feedback was positive. On the call, we just talked about salary, no actual interview feedback. They also mentioned I was a top candidate and the decision would be between me and one other person the next day. The next day, right at 6 PM, I got an automated rejection email. It was clearly a mistake, saying stuff like 'thanks for your effort' which is weird for someone who did an onsite. Then they gave the standard 'we found someone better' line, with no real feedback on why. It felt like they planned this rejection email in advance. Honestly, the whole process was really unprofessional. I thought I'd at least get a phone rejection or some actual feedback, especially since I talked to the recruiter the day before. Instead, I felt strung along and then just dumped via an automated email. If you get an offer, seriously consider how they handle candidates; it says a lot about the company culture.

The interview process was extremely unprofessional. After the onsite, the recruiter said the feedback was positive and promised an update the next day. Four days later, the recruiter called to discuss compensation and reiterated the positive feedback. They mentioned I was a top candidate and the final decision would be between me and someone else the next day. The next day, an automated rejection email arrived at 6:00PM. The email seemed generic, stating "We know that filling out an application takes time, and we appreciate your effort and interest in our organization." No specific feedback was given, just the usual "After consideration, we've decided to move forward with a candidate whose qualifications better align with the needs of the position." The rejection message appeared to be pre-scheduled. I expected a phone call for rejection, at least, given I spoke to the recruiter the day before, or some feedback on why I wasn't chosen. Instead, the recruiting team led me on and then sent an automated rejection. The way they handled the process makes me question the organizational culture.