The Pokémon Company International Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I went through about 7 interviews in 2 weeks. Some were about design and React, others were behavioral, but I can't recall the others.

I applied for the job on LinkedIn and they got in touch right away to set up an initial interview. I was super excited to interview with Pokemon because I grew up with the show and still play the games. The first phone interview was pretty standard and then I immediately had a call with the hiring manager. I thought that call went well, the conversation flowed, I answered their questions, and I asked about what they were looking for and how the department could be better. They told me I'd have to do a coding assessment within a few days. I started it the next week, finished it over the weekend, and sent it back on time. Then, silence. I emailed the talent coordinator twice who had me do the assessment, and they told me to contact the Sr. talent coordinator. I emailed them twice too, and still nothing. So, I sent 4 emails over 1.5 months and haven't heard back. It's weird because most companies let you know if you're not a fit, even with a generic email. Pokemon didn't, which was surprising for such a big company. What was even more annoying was seeing the job posting still up on LinkedIn while I was trying to get feedback. I still love Pokemon, but I'm bummed about how this interview process just faded out. I expected more.

The interview process felt pretty easy overall, but they really emphasize social skills, being a team player, and genuine passion. If you're more of a solo person, it might be tough. First, there was an initial recruiter screening. Then, I talked to the direct manager for the role, who asked about my background and some high-level technical stuff. After that, the recruiter called back to give feedback and talk about the next steps. The day before the onsite, the recruiter did a prep call to help me get ready. The final part was a 6-hour onsite, done over Zoom due to Covid. I met with different groups like Producers, Engineers, HR, and studio heads, with each session lasting 30-60 minutes. Everyone at the studio was super helpful and responsive, wanting me to succeed and explaining everything to prepare me.