Triton Systems Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process I went through was in late 2019. It started with a recruiter screening call, then a call with the hiring manager. After that, I had a half-day in-person interview. This part involved several 30-minute chats with team members, and one chat was with the CTO. In these chats, they asked about my experience and interests. There was also a 1-hour presentation. The recruiter sent me a list of SBIR topics, which are basically what the company uses for its funding proposals. The first 30 minutes of the presentation was for me to talk about myself and my experience. The next 30 minutes was for me to present a proposal on one of the SBIR topics. This SBIR proposal presentation is a really big ask. From my own interview experience, it seems like they ask for a lot in putting together a whole proposal deck, but it doesn't seem to be weighed that heavily in the final decision.

Applied online via LinkedIn and got a recruiter call 2 days later. Then had a phone interview with a director who would be my manager. They explained the full interview process: I needed to create a 1-hour virtual presentation. The first 30 minutes were about me and my experience, and the second 30 minutes were about researching and creating a product plan for an SBIR topic. I spent over 20 hours on research and the presentation, choosing a topic that was harder to research than expected. The presentation seemed to go well, with positive feedback and a chance to defend my choices. My manager spoke as if an offer was likely. After the interview, I was told everyone thought I was a good fit, pending grants. However, the company was undergoing restructuring and awaiting funding, which put my potential offer in jeopardy. I was unsure why they'd interview me if hiring was uncertain. I was supposed to be contacted by the recruiter, but never received an email and my follow-ups were ignored, leading to me being ghosted. The presentation requirement felt suspicious, possibly a way for them to get free product planning work. I advise caution when dealing with this company.

I talked with some engineers who I might work with first. They were super open and helpful, asking tough questions to gauge my knowledge and expecting me to explain my thought process beyond just the basics. They weren't looking for super specific application knowledge. Then I did a presentation about myself, my background, and my career ambitions during lunch, and a panel asked me questions about it. After that, I chatted with some higher-level managers who asked more general questions about my background and threw in some brain-teaser type problems to see how I approach tricky but simple issues. The questions from the engineers were specifically for an Electrical focused staff engineer role.

The interview process felt very unprofessional. The job itself didn't align with the job description, as it was advertised as hybrid but is actually in-person every day. It seemed like the interviewer was just skimming my resume and making general comments without asking specific, prepared questions that felt relevant to the position. The company is small and seems outdated in its recruitment methods.