Very awkward the entire way through. Recruiter screen consisted of a heavy sell to me which felt a bit odd, but I went with it. Tech screen was trivial with somewhat questionable follow-ups around how language vectors worked, but it was alright. The interviewer was pleasant to talk with. Manager screen followed which was extremely confrontational. They showed up 10 minutes late and then proceeded to grill me on projects harping on what my previous managers would rate me. Super cold interview which left me ready to tell the recruiter I didn't want to interview further. Luckily they felt similarly.
I didn't get pass the recruiter screen. Normally, I don't do a review, but I thought the recruiter that I talked to was upfront with me and honest about the company. I got a rejection email "extremely quickly" that was probably based off a template, but also gave a generalized reason for the rejection which I consider a major step up with a lot of the companies I am interviewing with. The timeliness was also a nice change of pace. Overall, if there is a match in the future this would be a company I would consider again.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time when you had to handle a lot of load to a service or process?
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Mixpanel in Oct 2022
Interview
Can't say enough positive things about my experience interviewing at Mixpanel.
I was reached out to about a position as a Senior Developer. It didn't quite line up with my recent experience in a management role, but I thought, hey why not. I've used the product quite a bit and I think the specific tasks for this role seem interesting.
They really put me through the ringer. A hiring manager screen, technical rounds, more soft skill rounds, and even a portfolio review! This last interview is extremely uncommon for any engineering position, but they needed to know that I had many intersecting design and leadership skills--including the ability to present and persuade. It was a perfect fit for me personally, really quite tailored to my background. Which is rare. It sounded like they required the same for other candidates, which I can imagine being a little frustrated about if they didn't have my exact experience and strengths.
Anyway, what really helped me shine was the incredibly helpful talent partner, who did absolutely everything in their power to set me up for success. They were honest, transparent, and made themselves fully available to me for any questions I had. They also updated me like clockwork on feedback and status.
When I had concerns, they got the VP to talk through it with me directly, who I'm sure is a very busy person. This was also very much appreciated.
When interviewing with several opportunities, you really get a full spectrum of professionalism and competence. I can speak with authority when I say that interviewing at Mixpanel has been a highlight for me, despite being quite an intense process.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
* Use your knowledge of HTML/CSS/JavaScript to print out X from the DOM.
* Why is this layout composition problematic? How would you improve it?
* Walk us through Y projects in your professional career, focusing on Z.