I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at NorthOne
Interview
Smooth process with screenings, take home project and behavioral interview. Spoke to multiple stakeholders across the company. Take home project covered a hypothetical scenario that involved breaking down the problem and suggesting a solution.
Initial call with the recruiter.
Technical interview with two team members to discuss a piece of code you bring.
System design interview: It was a frustrating experience. The interviewer kept interrupting and asking unrelated questions, making it feel like a rapid-fire interrogation rather than a meaningful discussion. A good interview should allow candidates to express ideas and discuss trade-offs collaboratively. Instead, this felt like a confusing, rigid test with no clarity on expectations—one of the worst interview experiences I’ve had.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Explain your designs using software and architecture design patterns
I had a screening call with a recruiter. Although I don't expect from recruiters to be knowledgeable on matters outside their core recruiting competencies, I am still baffled when they are given a set of questions and they had to take notes of the responses. I'm sure sometimes they can't even take proper notes due to knowledge gaps. The interview was a set of questions that were thrown at me and responses recorded. I generally would prefer more conversational type of interview but it was what it was. I was given little time to find out about the company.
The process was super heavy and from end to finish would have included meeting with around 10 people (a 1/5 of the whole company).
The position itself was in part managing a product manager and 2 designers plus acting as an individual contributor for one of the other pods.
Weird setup but judging from my interview and feedback from others, the company seems to be an odd one too.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How do I measure success outside features being delivered on time?