Tessian Interview Questions
& Process

I had a screening interview with an HR VP from the US via screen-share with cameras on. The overall vibe of the interview was really uncomfortable. The interviewer seemed uneasy and/or irritated to be participating. Their facial expression was off right from the start. The questions were very basic and uninspired. Coupled with the generally hostile attitude, it made for an unpleasant experience. This company seems to promote based on youth, top-tier education, and intelligence, leading to hiring managers who are often decades younger than some applicants. It raises questions about how a 20-something with about 5 years of experience can effectively manage someone with 25 years. This model appears to leverage the youth and energy of these bright individuals for rapid growth, with plans to replace them with more experienced management once the company is sold or goes public. This approach is similar to what's seen in some well-known UK cyber/data companies that have faced scrutiny regarding their business and accounting practices.

The interview process had four rounds. First, I spoke with the Head of Engineering about my past work experiences and learned about the tech team and company mission. The second round involved a system design exercise with two technical leads; it was an unusual and interesting problem, and I proposed a simple solution on a whiteboard without coding. The third round was with an engineering manager and an engineer, where I was asked questions about managing conflict and other experiences, some of which were challenging, but the interviewers were helpful and kept me focused. The final round was a culture fit discussion with a talent acquisition team member, covering more about my work history. Throughout the process, interviewers allowed time for my questions, and I gained good insights into the company and its people. Scheduling was easy and flexible, with all interviews conducted remotely. Communication was excellent, with prompt responses even outside of work hours. The only downside was receiving only positive feedback, as more detailed constructive criticism would have been beneficial.

The interview process started with an online test featuring a medium LeetCode-style question. Following that, there was a technical discussion with an engineer where we talked about my past projects and tech experience. This was followed by a coding exercise using codepair and some questions related to it. Later that day, I got an automated email saying they weren't moving forward with my application. I reached out to two hiring managers for feedback but haven't heard back.

Applied through Stackoverflow. Round 1 was a 2 hour Hackerrank test. Round 2 was a 1 hour Codepair interview with the Engineering Manager. Round 3 was a 2 hour Codepair interview with 2 Senior Software Engineers. Round 4 was a 1 hour Values Interview with the Head of Engineering. I thought it went well, but didn't get an offer. The HR said I was a bit slow on one problem and didn't explain my work enough, even though they didn't ask me to. So, pay attention to everything, it all counts.