Zulily Product Manager Interview Questions
& Process

Started with a recruiter call discussing the company, role, and culture. Then had a call with the hiring manager about the role and my background. Followed by a 5-hour onsite interview with multiple people. The interview started late because the initial interviewer was sick, but the rest of the interview went well with good discussions. After 3 interviews and spending half a day in the office, I sent thank you notes but never heard back. I emailed the recruiter multiple times over 3 weeks for an update, but got no response. I think it's unprofessional not to update candidates, even if they don't get the role, especially in this competitive market.

I connected with a senior Zulily employee who put me in touch with the hiring team. First, I had a phone screen with the Development Manager. Then, I had a 5-hour on-site interview loop with managers from Development, Product, Program, and Business. These were all one-on-one. Less than a week later, they asked if I wanted to interview with another team that seemed like a better fit. This was a 2-hour on-site with a Development Manager and Product Manager. Two weeks after that, HR sent me an email rejecting me. Zulily kept me updated throughout and really tried to find a role for me.

I applied for two PM roles (product and program). I passed the recruiter phone screen for both. For the first role, I had a second phone interview with the hiring manager and was invited onsite. However, after following up, I was told they hired an internal candidate for that one and I should continue with the second role. For the second role, I worked with a different recruiter and was invited for a 1-hour onsite interview with the hiring manager, which felt uncommon given the difficulty of taking time off work and commute. Since I was really set on this role after positive feedback, I went for it. A few hours after the interview, I got an email asking me to come back onsite to meet the teams for the final interview. But just a few minutes after I confirmed, I got another email saying the interview was canceled because they found a candidate they liked. It honestly feels like external interviews are just a formality before they hire someone they've already picked internally. This is pretty common, but be aware that a 1-hour onsite interview might be a waste of time and rude to your current employer.