I happened to get an email from Paylocity one day. I was not actively looking at the time and I get recruiter emails all the time and usually delete them, but this one was different. They were offering a Remote position and their short and sweet pitch hooked me, and so I thought I would just reply to see what they were all about.
Then next day, after a enthusiastic chat with the recruiter, Chelsey, she sent over at QA Challenge to complete. It is a QA skills and critical thinking exercise and also a coding challenge. The "challenge" is the basic things you would do in a QAE position. I think it helps them assess if you are actually capable to do the work, so during the interview they can get to know you better.
They have a set time window for interviews every week. I knew I wasn't going to finish the challenge by that first available date. Chelsey reassured me it was no problem and we scheduled for the following week.
The interview itself was about 90 minute video conference with a Lead and a Senior QA. Both were really down to earth. We talked about QA process, bugs, SQL and other tools. We also walked through the code. In the end, they just really want to know how you think and how you make decisions and solve problems. It ended up feeling like a good conversation rather than an interview since we were all answering questions back and forth. I learned about their project teams and how they work when they are all remote.
After the interview, Chelsey followed up pretty quickly. The next interview was with the director. The phone call with the director was to give more background on Paylocity as a company and how the IT department works. She encouraged me to ask as many questions as I had, as they are very transparent. It was then I had the epiphany that they interview their QA Engineers that the same way they interview their Software Developers. She confirmed that. So, if you want to know more about the interview process, you can check out those reviews on Glassdoor as well.
Over all, this has been, hands-down, the best interview process I've been through. The recruiter, Chelsey, was there every step of the way. Everyone I talked to was friendly, down to earth, and passionate, which said a lot to me about their company culture.
My advice: 1. Really do your best in the QA challenge, don't just do the minimum. You can ask for clarifications if something is not clear. 2. Being self aware of your strengths and weaknesses is a good thing, so be open and honest about your skill set. 3. Ask a lot of questions!