Recruiter screen, hiring screen, leadership round, analytics round, team member interview.
Pros: Overall the process was incredibly respectful, every single interviewer was very professional and kind and they genuinely care about the candidates and provide very very thoughtful and in depth feedback. Which successful company even does that these days? Supercell does. They’ve very responsive and accountable to candidates and treat people as humans with feelings, aspirations. It tells volumes about their culture and is clearly a very healthy place to work. People are warm, and balanced on their approach to work/life. And have you seen their social channels? They are incredibly flat, hierarchy agnostic, dynamic, irreverent and refreshing. They are dynamic, entrepreneurial and fast moving. I’d love to work at a place like this.
Cons: they do not have experienced business side people and you can tell because:
1. They often interview candidates for roles that may be overqualified at that level. They don’t really have clear benchmarks for experience levels or internal levels, it’s all kind of random
2. Their view of the product is quite siloed and the interviewers think of monetization as separate from design and not holistically. Their knowledge of monetization appeared elementary and limited to optimized shops and offers.
3. They’re not super familiar with key and current product trends and are quite old fashioned in their design approach. Not numbers or data or problem solving approach savvy. The designer seemed exceptionally married to his own views without much objective self introspection. Plus, They hire for right answers over thought process and approach. There is absolutely a right answer to every question and they disqualify you if they don’t hear what they expect.
4. Recruiter does not clarify comp expectations ahead and the offer you get will often be significantly lower than what you’re expecting
Overall I walked away from the process with closure, and my self respect intact with a positive impression of Supercell. However, they are not ready for product management as of today, and you can glean that through your interviews. A traditional product manager will not fit in here easily and Supercell does not hire people for “culture mould” or adaptability, they want a perfect fit at the time of hire. Again, old fashioned in good ways as well as bad - old fashioned ethics, respect and courtesy, as well as old fashioned hiring and product management knowledge.
Do they have the best work culture? 100%.
Do they have a current and informed approach to product management? No. But they will get there someday.