ZEFR Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was fast and efficient. It started with a recruiter screen and a chat with the hiring manager. Technical and panel interviews were next. The recruiter, Alyssa, was nice and easy to talk to. Even though they hired someone else before the panel stage, they communicated clearly the whole time, and I still have a good feeling about the company.

The recruiter set up the first interview with the Director of AI. They couldn't find a 45-minute slot, so it was scheduled for 30 minutes. The director was 5 minutes late. He asked about my past experience, which I kept brief. Then he asked some advanced questions about vision language models. I had time to ask him a question, so I asked if it was a backfill or new role, and he said backfill. I asked how long the position has been open, and he lied and said three months (I know he lied because I saw the ad reposted from his LinkedIn 8 months ago). He didn't confidently answer my next question about the most imminent tasks for this role, repeating the job description. He then said the recruiter would follow up within 24 hours about the next round. I waited over a month to hear back and eventually gave up, assuming they're fine waiting another year to fill the position.

The whole process dragged on for over 3 months. I applied the same day the Software Engineer job was posted, and HR-TA reached out 3 months later. I'd applied to a bunch of jobs there and accepted their interview. I tried asking specific questions about the role, but they were vague, and the whole vibe was unclear. It seems like they post jobs without actually intending to hire anyone. Jobs stay up for ages, but when I asked in the interview, they said they were already filled. The interview with the HR TA (A R) was honestly pretty unprofessional. It got cancelled twice. Throughout the interview, their dog was barking non-stop in the background – imagine if I had done that! It feels like they're either trying to fool their employees into thinking they're hiring to lighten their load, or they're trying to impress investors with fake growth.

Had an initial screening call with HR, which was good. Then I spoke with a VP who is based in Canada. The conversation was pleasant, but I was surprised by the lack of in-depth questions and more focus on things like the biggest account sold in social media. HR mentioned they would provide feedback, but I was shocked when they didn't. It's concerning that this position has been reposted for over 5 months, especially in the current market where companies are trying to pay low base salaries. This suggests a lack of organization.