Secret Escapes Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (New York, NY (US)) in April 2016.

Interview

The interview itself was fine. It was straightforward. However, what happened after is where the problem lies. I was never contacted again and told whether or not I got the job (obviously, by this point, it's a no). I wrote a thank you note that was never responded to, nor was my followup email. If another candidate was selected, that's fine, but at least have the decency to let someone know where they stand. If this is how job candidates are treated, then I could only imagine how their business is run.

Application

I applied online. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England).

Interview

The first stage was a video interview, which was great as it meant I could do it from home without travelling in. Then a face-to-face interview at the London office, followed by a final face-to-face where I got to meet more of the team and some stakeholders I'd be working with. The questions were all competency based and centred around the Company values which gave me a great feel of where I would be working. I was also asked to do a presentation based around my role which I presented back at final stage.

Everyone I met, including the people on reception were so friendly and helpful throughout the process which made it really enjoyable.

Application

I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (Berlin (Germany)) in February 2020.

Interview

I had an interview for iOS Developer position.

First round was a voice call, HR / recruiter called: where in we talked about the role and about my profile.

second round, Kind of technical round: Where in a mobile lead asked question purely technical and relevant to my profile and later asked me to share a screen for writing the live code challenge.

Third round (lasts for more than 4 hours): This round is misleading, they invited me to the company office in berlin for pair programming. Which is not a pair programming but a torture, I had to share my screen with other developer sitting just opposite to me, where all my screen was recorded and viewed, 2nd lead developer was sitting next to me looking at my screen directly and at my notes i wrote while coding, I completed the challenge successfully. However it needed quality improvement.

My evaluation is: While coding I was constantly interrupted and asked question, what is the difference between struct or class and other things as well, rather then allowing me to focus on the challenge, It was a mental torture for me, Firstly, two people sitting and monitoring and then asking question on general level and then not letting me do things MY WAY, they called it was supposed to be a pair programming session, but trust me it was not.

the task was easy, sometimes one needs to relax and clam mind to approach a problem, given the fact different brains work differently.
 But i would be happy if for question you keep a separate session called technical interview and while pair programming round, keep the pair programming as paired and as friendly possible.

You are not a Google that you would do things like this, Google makes it hard but they compensate it by paying amazingly well and they have reached to that epitome of excellence.

Application

I applied online. The process took a week. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in January 2020.

Interview

1) Talent Team call 2) Tech Lead call 3) Coding Test 4) On site (3 hours interview).

My experience with Secret Escapes has been simply fantastic.

The phone call with the tech lead was clear and explanatory, as he took his time to give a great overview of the company, the product, and the challenges for this role.
He asked me about myself, my background, never rushed any question and seemed interest at all times.

The coding test was challenging but absolutely interesting as focused on 'real world' problems (performances, code quality, architecture).

The on-site interview has been the best interview I have had to this day.

A beautiful office, casual dress code, young vibrant atmosphere, great facilities.

The panel interviewing me was composed of all really nice people who have done their best to make me feel comfortable, and all the 3 hours spent there I have already felt like a member of the team, which tells a lot about a company.

I was introduced to the Tech Team and had the chance to ask plenty of questions.

We went through different stages: coding test review, new coding challenge, algorithm challenge, and culture fit assessment.

It was a long process but at all stages the subject of the questions were not abstract concept, but real-life example of problems I will have to solve in that role, which made the challenges difficult yet exciting and intresting.

I have received an offer by the next day which I have happily accepted.

Application

I applied online. The process took 1+ week. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in January 2020.

Interview

I had two interviews. The first stage was a video questionnaire which was mainly about my experience and expectations. The second stage was another video interview but this time it was a proper conversation with the team manager. The interview itself felt natural and more like a normal chat instead of a job interview. At the end of this interview I had to do a task to prove my writing skills and how I perform under pressure. Only two days after that I was offered the job and was invited to come to the office to see my new work place. Everyone I met, including the people on reception were very friendly and helpful. The whole interview process (from first contact to job acceptance) took only 1.5 weeks. Thanks for the positive experience!

Application

I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (Berlin (Germany)) in January 2020.

Interview

A Recruiter contacted me via email, he arranged a phone interview with the mobile team it was an easy problem solving question, and a little bit of talk around mobile architectures.

Then I was invited to the onsite round, where I was tasked in creating a new project (A usual master and detail exercise) from scratch in two hours, at the end I didn't manage to finish it, however I communicated my ideas clearly, described my solution and asked questions on how to handle some edge cases.

Next round was a chat with the Product people discussing my past experiences and some usual behavioral questions.

Application

I applied online. The process took 4+ weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (Amsterdam (Netherlands)) in December 2019.

Interview

Applied online through a very slim form. Received an email from their recruitment staff a few days later. I was then asked to submit a 10-min video through an app answering a few questions about myself, my ambition and my experience. After this, a face-to-face interview was scheduled with the hiring manager and one of the sales managers.

Application

I applied through other source. The process took a week. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in December 2019.

Interview

I applied for this role through the apprenticeship provider.

The first stage is a video sent to SE, which is where I introduce myself and give a bit of insight into how I'd be a suited candidate for the role.

The next stage was a face-to-face with my line manager, which consisted of a competency test, a general behavioural interview with my line manager and then a panel discussion with the other team members, which gave me an opportunity to explore what they did and what they loved about being part of SE. The face-to-face interview then concluded with a tour of the office.

Overall, the process whilst challenging, was very enjoyable and I was always kept in the loop over the process, which is a big credit to everyone involved.

Application

I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in November 2019.

Interview

I had two interviews with Secret Escapes. The first was a video interview and was well structured with good questions to determine my technical understanding.

The second interview felt less structured and not as strong. Based on experience from previous interviews, I expected standard interview questions used to get to know candidates, such as "why have you left previous roles", "where do you want to be in five years time" or "what do you like to do outside of work". Instead the questions were loosely based around the role. Also, I was surprised that the two interviewers didn't balance the questions between them, which would have created a different dynamic to the interview. I was also surprised that one of the interviewers didn't know where I had travelled in from given that my address was at the top of my CV.

However, I am disappointed in the follow up, which I think was intended to soften the blow, and is the only reason that I am leaving a review. Personally, it would have been preferable to receive an email to confirm that I had not been successful rather then having to arrange another follow up call which involved me taking more time off. The feedback given was a matter of the interviewers opinion rather then factual, such as based on qualifications or technical skills. It was not professional and was given by a talent manager. A polite "thanks, but we regret to inform you" email would have been sufficient.

Thank you for the opportunity, but please do try to treat all of your candidates the same. I wouldn't like to think that I was treated any differently to the other applicants.

Application

I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in October 2019.

Interview

Interview process was call front talent team, video interview with the hiring manager and then face to face interview, where I can to do a presentation to four people, which then followed by 2 interviews