I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at GroupBy (Toronto, ON) in Mar 2024
Interview
I was originally contacted by an HR person via my profile on Hired.com (now defunct) requesting an interview. Communication was slow, if I was lucky I'd receive one update per week. My initial interview was with my would-be manager, it went well. Some weeks went by, and then they scheduled the next round of interviews, which was again conversational in nature, touching on technical experience, specifics like how I would approach writing tickets for bug. It was a two-way conversation, with them explaining the role in significant detail. A positive thing I will say is that the technical people I spoke were friendly and seemed competent. I spoke with a Tech Lead (a peer to this role), a delivery manager, the CTO, and a digital marketing person. This round of interviews also seemed to go well. Some more time went by before I got an update, some weeks. By this point I'm at least a month in from initial contact. An update eventually comes that the CEO wants to speak with me. HR sets up a 30-min call. CEO doesn't show. HR apologizes, sets up a second call. CEO shows up, doesn't seem to have any specific questions, we end up talking about the history of the company for a while. Around 6 weeks from initial contact, I receive the "we won’t be moving forward with your candidacy" boilerplate email from HR. No feedback provided. I cannot explain why the CEO would take the time to interview me and then not even bother to provide basic feedback.
Needless to say I dodged a bullet with this company, and I regret not looking at the feedback others have left before I bothered to put time and energy into preparing for the interviews. Very disrespectful of my time, to say the least.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Standard interview questions about my technical experience. No coding test
I recently had the unfortunate experience of interviewing for an Engineering Developer role and I feel compelled to share my disappointment with the entire process. From start to finish, the interview left me with a sour taste and raised serious questions about the company's professionalism and commitment to hiring top talent.
The communication leading up to the interview was disorganized and lacked transparency. I received conflicting information about the interview format and expectations, leaving me uncertain about how to prepare adequately. The HR team seemed indifferent to my concerns, providing vague responses that only added to the overall confusion.
Upon joining the scheduled interview, the lack of a structured process became painfully apparent. The interviewers appeared unprepared and disengaged, showing minimal interest in my background and skills. It was evident that they had not thoroughly reviewed my resume, as they asked generic questions that did not reflect a genuine understanding of my experience. Its as if they were Googling interview questions during the virtual interview. They didn't share much about the role, company or their background and roles.
The technical assessment was a disaster. The coding challenge provided was poorly formulated, with ambiguous requirements and unclear expectations. When seeking clarification, the interviewers seemed uninterested in guiding me through the problem, leaving me to decipher their vague instructions on my own. This lack of support and guidance in a technical evaluation does not bode well for a company claiming to be at the forefront of SaaS development.
Overall, the interviewers displayed a noticeable lack of enthusiasm for their own company. When I inquired about the team culture and future projects, I was met with vague and evasive responses that left me questioning the company's vision and commitment to innovation.
My experience with the interview process was demoralizing. The lack of communication, unprepared interviewers, and poorly designed technical assessment underscored a fundamental lack of respect for candidates' time and skills. I would caution any engineering professional considering a role with this company to think twice before investing time and energy in an organization that appears to be in disarray and lacks a genuine commitment to fostering a positive and productive work environment.
I applied through other source. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at GroupBy in May 2022
Interview
Stay away! I completed all the interviewing rounds and was advised I would get feedback on whether my hiring process was successful or not. For 6 months I was advised I'm still under review. After 6 months l was completely ghosted and never got any response again.