WD Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

First, a brief call with HR. Then, the first round was with the hiring manager, where we introduced ourselves. The hiring manager shared details about projects they've worked on and inquired about my previous experiences. The second round was a panel interview with a group of my potential future colleagues.

I got contacted by a recruiter to set up a panel interview. They didn't answer my questions about the hiring process, and even when I hit up the talent coordinator, they told me to just talk to the same recruiter. The panel interview itself had two coding exercises. They told me this was the only round they needed, which wasn't true. After that, it was totally silent for months. I sent a bunch of follow-up emails to the recruiter, but nothing. The only way I got a response was when I contacted the coordinator again, and they finally nudged the recruiter to reply. Months later, I found out the role was on hold because I messaged the hiring manager on LinkedIn. It was super unprofessional. Candidates should get clear and fast updates on their status. Having to chase down basic info after putting in time for their interviews is disrespectful. I'd tell other candidates to think twice if a company has such bad hiring practices, would they even value their employees? There are way more professional companies out there that treat candidates right.

The first round was straightforward, covering general knowledge on web development and deployment. Following that, there was a surprise take-home technical test, which was only sent out the day before the second round interview. It was bizarrely sent on a weekday morning, and I worked on it throughout the day, returning it at 8 PM after my working hours. During the second round, the interviewer seemed unhappy that it took me 'so long' to submit the test, implying they expected it to be done immediately, even during work hours, which really highlighted a potentially poor company culture. Additionally, some of the test questions were vague, and the interviewer would dismiss answers not matching their exact thought process as incorrect. It sounds like a 'fun' team to collaborate with.