Tumblr Interview Questions
& Process

The process is a bit tough. First, you have a phone call with HR who will ask about your background. If you pass, they'll set up a technical phone interview. This one is a bit scary; you're in front of your computer using a collaboration tool so the interviewer can see what you type. It was my first time, but the person was really nice, so it went well. If all goes well, they'll call you back to schedule the 5-hour interview at Tumblr HQ. In the meantime, they'll give you a take-home exercise to review during the second part of the interview.

I submitted my resume and a week later, the hiring manager reached out via email. I then had two phone interviews. The first was with the team's manager, covering general computer science concepts and knowledge, along with some specific topics and conceptual technical problem-solving. The second interview was with a team engineer using CoderPad, where we worked through two coding problems. The interviews were great experiences; everyone was very friendly and seemed eager to have me join.

This interview process was a complete disaster. I had two interview rounds. The first interviewer was a no-show twice, once due to sickness and once because they had to go to another office. They were also late for the third attempt. The second interviewer was scheduled immediately very late in the day, and then didn't show up at all. This person finally called me an hour and a half after the scheduled time and asked two really strange questions. Nobody informed me about any of these changes beforehand, and I never heard back about my application status. They spent more time talking about their own jobs than asking about my technical skills.

I applied online via the Tumblr website by sending in my résumé and cover letter. HR got back to me in about two or three days. I then had a phone interview, which I believe was a screening step, with HR. After that, they asked me to come to their office for three in-person interviews: two with managers and one with another Trust and Safety Ambassador. They offered me the job a couple of weeks later. I would have accepted, but I couldn't start until much later than they needed.