The RealReal Interview Questions
& Process

I applied for this job and heard back about 2-3 weeks later. First, I chatted with the recruiter, which went really well, and then I got invited to the next stage. After that, I spoke with the Director, who would be my direct manager. We had a good talk about the role and what the team needed. She seemed to like our conversation and hoped to speak with me again. She mentioned she'd give feedback to the recruiter and I'd hear back within 2-3 days after she got back from vacation. Sadly, I didn't hear from the recruiter for 2.5 weeks, even after following up twice. I thought I'd been ghosted. When I finally heard back, they said they weren't moving forward with my application. The recruiter kindly offered to schedule time for feedback, which took a while to arrange. Unfortunately, I got ghosted again and never received feedback on why I wasn't a good fit. This was disappointing as I've been a long-time fan of the company and it would have been a dream job. Even though I have 6 years of experience relevant to this role, I know experience isn't always clear in interviews, so I really wish I'd gotten that feedback. Recruiters here should really improve their communication and not ghost candidates who are genuinely excited about their roles.

After you apply via the career portal or a job listing site, making sure your resume and cover letter are tailored to the role, a recruiter will review applications and may give selected candidates a brief phone call for initial screening. Then, you'll have a phone or video interview with a recruiter or hiring manager to discuss your background, skills, and interest in the role, possibly including basic technical or role-related questions. If needed for the role, you might complete a practical test or assignment to show your skills. After that, expect a series of in-person interviews with team members, managers, or executives, covering behavioral situations, technical expertise, and problem-solving. A final interview with senior leadership might follow to check cultural fit and alignment with company values. They'll then check your references to verify employment history and performance. If all goes well, you'll get a job offer with details on the job, pay, and benefits, and you can negotiate terms before accepting. Once you accept, onboarding starts with company policies, team introductions, and training.

They had 4 rounds for this role, which included coding and ML rounds, a product and solution knowledge round, and a round with high-level product stakeholders. The interview wasn't overly difficult, but they were a bit misleading, suggesting an offer would come if other candidates didn't pan out, which didn't happen. So, not the best recruiting experience. It felt like they weren't entirely sure what they were looking for, and your performance in the interview didn't seem to make a difference.

I didn't hear back for a few weeks after the second round, so I tried to reach out to the recruiter. I followed up two more times over the course of a month, and they finally got back to me saying they had an ATS system change and lost my information. This still didn't explain why she didn't reply to my direct emails. She apologized that I wasn't moving forward and told me to check the website for other jobs. When I saw another role I was interested in that I thought fit my background, I reached out, but she never responded.