Tides Interview Questions
& Process

I was initially offered this role on July 8, 2021. I had some questions and responded to HR, but they were out of office until the end of the month. PLEASE NOTE - I had ALREADY accepted a position elsewhere, but felt more aligned with Tides. I spent the weekend of July 10/11 weighing my options and on Monday, July 12, I emailed the Tides team kindly declining the offer. Tides didn't acknowledge my email until 8 hours later when HR called me. They said, "The Grants team wants you. You are their number one. What questions might I answer to help you reconsider Tides?" I asked several questions, all of which HR addressed, even arranging another call with the Director the next day. After that call, I knew Tides was the right choice and confirmed this with the team on the afternoon of the 13th. Within 15 minutes, the Director enthusiastically responded, BUT THIS WAS THE LAST TIME I HEARD FROM THE DIRECTOR. Since I needed to inform the other company about my decision, I needed an updated offer letter ASAP. I emailed the Director on Wednesday, July 14, asking about the next steps. No response. I called their office and was transferred to the Director's phone, but their voicemail was full. I called again, and a helpful gentleman passed messages to the team via Slack. I was convinced that since I was Tides' "number one" choice, everything would be fine. I declined the other offer and waited for next steps. Two days later, on the morning of July 15, I emailed the Director again. Still no word by 6:19 PM on the 15th, so I circled back, CC'ing HR hoping for any response. Nothing. I then waited until Monday, July 19 to email Tides, as my start date was a week away. Finally, at 9:39 AM on Tuesday, July 20 - 6 days, 16 hours, and 53 minutes after I last heard from the Director - they replied, stating, "Upon further reflection and interaction, we have determined that your skills do not fit as closely as initially thought with the requirements of the position." I was stunned and confused. I requested a call to understand the change. I spoke with the Director for a third time and was given three reasons: 1: "It was perceived by Tides that your values were not aligned." 2: "You had too frequent communication." 3: "Your emails went to too wide of audiences." I specifically asked what values I didn't align with but received no answer, just the standard HR response, "We are so sorry that this opportunity did not work out and we wish you the best moving forward." Ironically, during the interview, everyone praised my alignment and commitment. It's hard to understand "too frequent communication" and "too wide of audiences" when my livelihood was at risk and no one from their team responded to my calls or emails. I felt gaslit, made to believe it was my fault for not asking about references or a background check, which I did in my initial email on July 13th. I refuse to accept it was my values when no substantial feedback was given. Tides strung me along and failed me. I suspect I'm not the only one. Perhaps it was my initiative and transparent communication in asking about next steps that threatened the Director. They hid behind a screen and never checked in, which I'd expect from a Director. Apply with caution, y'all and remember... If they don't get back to you, I guess you are supposed to sit back and relax...

About two months after I applied, I heard back from the recruiting agency that's helping Tides out with hiring. We did a quick 20-minute call where they gave me an overview of the job and the department, and asked me a few things about why I was interested and what experience I had. The person interviewing me was pretty chill and nice, which made it feel good. The next interview was a video call for an hour with the hiring manager. This one was also a friendly chat, focusing more on who I am than on super specific details. I didn't get the job in the end, but the whole process wasn't too bad (as much as these things can be) and I got feedback quickly. Tides sounds like a great place to work.

The whole thing took around 2.5 to 3 months. I sent in my application in early July and got a response two weeks later. The initial phone interview was two weeks after that. Then, I had an in-person interview consisting of two 1-hour sessions back-to-back. About two weeks after that, I returned for a second, much longer interview round where I met with three more people, each for an hour, again back-to-back. A week after that, they did reference checks, and by the end of that same week, I received an offer.

This was probably the worst interview experience I've ever had. The phone interview was actually good, the HR person was thorough and assessed cultural fit, seeming very interested that candidates actually want to work at Tides and weren't just arbitrarily looking for a job. The in-person interview was different, a 1-hour panel with 4 individuals from completely disparate departments. Personally, I feel that 1-hour to simultaneously convince 4 different departments is a near impossibility for anyone except sales people; not systems analysts. What made the interview more vexing is that all but one of the interviewers seemed completely unprepared, saying almost nothing and having no questions to ask. They mumbled halfhearted answers when questions were asked, and seemed to have no agenda. The questions asked centered largely around the job description, basically asking 'Tell me about a time when you [insert line from job description].' There was little response beyond that, and the interviewer would then just move on.