YCharts Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was pretty simple, it started with a phone interview, then I met with the Hiring Manager, after that there was a project, then another meeting with the Hiring Manager, then a Team Interview, and finally a Final Interview. For the project part, they let me either use graphs and content they already had or make my own using their software.

First I had a chat with HR, then I spoke with a senior marketing person. The HR interview was pretty standard. After that, they sent over a big assignment. I had to write a 700-word blog post using three charts or visuals from YCharts. Then, I needed to come up with three topic ideas for financial advisors, drawing from YCharts content and current industry trends, making sure they aligned with the company's value proposition. For each topic, I had to detail the title, explain its current relevance to advisors, how it connects to YCharts' value, list the specific YCharts or visuals I'd use, and include a sample chart or link. On top of that, I was asked for three recurring client engagement topics, with outlines covering format (like video or report) and five specific criteria. The lead generation impact for these engagement topics also needed to be addressed. Finally, I had to put together a PowerPoint presentation summarizing everything. Honestly, it felt like they were fishing for free consulting work. While a writing sample is one thing, this felt like way too much to ask.

I had a call with a recruiter, then a technical interview with a non-senior developer. After that, there was a 3-hour panel technical interview that I didn't get to do. The technical interview itself involved talking about my past experience, the interviewer explaining the team's role and company structure, and an easy coding question. The coding question was to return the word count of a string as a dictionary in Python and pass some tests. To pass the tests, I needed to clean the input string using regex. After the coding part, there was about 15-20 minutes left for me to ask questions about the company. The next day, the recruiter sent me a rejection email. This was surprising because the technical interview seemed to go well and was actually one of the easiest live coding interviews I've done. Given the education backgrounds of the employees here, I suspect that interviewing without a top university degree might be pointless.

So, I had this initial phone screening for a marketing role at YCharts last week. The recruiter seemed really impressed and followed up the same day with a candidate assignment. I've done these before, and they're usually quick, like 1-2 hours max. But this one required a ton of original work. I spent about 16 hours on it, trying to impress them with my writing and finance market knowledge, and sent it in a day early. Got a standard rejection email 36 hours later. Honestly, it felt like they just wanted free labor. Be super careful if you're thinking of applying.