Wolfspeed Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was decent overall, although the hiring manager wasn't great with communication regarding salary. It started with a standard HR call, then a 30-minute phone chat with the hiring manager where they discussed the company and asked some technical questions. The last stage was a tough panel interview with six people, which included a presentation of my research. They were focused on thermal analysis of SiC chips, so they asked a lot about Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and Materials. I got the offer after the final round. However, when I tried to negotiate salary, the hiring manager said he'd check with upper management. He never got back to me and instead interviewed other candidates. My offer was eventually rescinded because they found someone cheaper. It was disappointing, especially from a well-known company, but the people seemed great to work with, despite the miscommunication or budget issues.

The process had three parts: first, a recruiter screen, then a one-on-one with the hiring manager, and finally an onsite interview. It all wrapped up in about three weeks. I heard back about the decision two weeks after the last interview.

I applied for a few jobs at this company and got an email on Tuesday asking me to complete 38 HR questions in a Word doc, which I did. No response. Then on Thursday, an engineer called and wanted to chat for an hour. It was late, and they didn't check if it was a good time. I answered their questions anyway, and their tone got rough and harassing. At the end of the call, they invited me for an onsite interview. I flew to Raleigh the next Tuesday for the interview on Wednesday. It was awful. Most people at my presentation didn't get it, and nobody seemed interested. One interviewer, a PhD, didn't know the difference between injection molding and extrusion. They asked PhD-level questions like, 'How many barbers in a city of 2 million?' or 'My garage light is dim, how do I fix it?' and 'What's the melting point of platinum, mercury, rhenium?'. They also asked about a tube furnace: its parts, length, specs, if I ordered it, and the vendor. Then, 'How to teach an illiterate to use a weighing balance for 200g?' We went to a restaurant for lunch, but they didn't let me order what I wanted and kept asking tough questions while I tried to eat. It continued until 4:30 pm. They invited me to dinner, and at 'Ruth's Chris', they ordered T-Bone steaks and continued asking vague questions, like the melting point of mercury, when I was exhausted. When I asked about their product, they said they don't talk to outsiders, even though I interviewed all day. They let me go after dinner to catch my flight. A couple of weeks later, they called saying I was selected with a $55K/year offer for a fresh PhD, which I found too low for a job expecting 60 hours/week. I declined due to the pay and the process. The experience made me mentally tougher for future interviews.