I applied online. I interviewed at Clean Power Research (Bellevue, WA) in May 2025
Interview
There were quite a few interviews with various managers, directors and even the CEO, as well as a presentation task. Although it dragged out for over a month, I was glad to have the chance to meet so many of the people I would be working with.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Descibe your experience with the solar industry and electric utility workflows.
I applied online. I interviewed at Clean Power Research in Aug 2025
Interview
The interview process was long, with time in between each of the 6-7 rounds waiting to hear whether I would move to the next step (and what the next steps even were). This felt like it could be consolidated into fewer rounds with less waiting time, and I can foresee the long waiting times deterring some applicants. The interviews themselves were quite positive experiences; each interview felt unique as some interviewers focused on specific tactical questions (i.e. what would I do in x customer scenario) while others asked bigger picture questions to understand my motivations and passion for the industry. I had many great conversations about the role, the company, and trends in the industry and I appreciated the transparency of all the interviewers throughout the process.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe a situation where you helped alleviate a customer's doubt in the platform / engagement with your company. How did you approach the situation?
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Clean Power Research in Aug 2025
Interview
Interview Process: I went through 8 conversations across 7 interviews over the course of nearly two months:
- Recruiter screen
- Hiring Manager interview
- Panel interview with two team members
- VP of Product Management
- Director, Western Region Utility Sales
- Recruiter prep for final presentation
- 20-minute presentation + 10-minute Q&A
- Final 1-hour interview with the CEO
There was a gap of over two weeks after the final interview before receiving a decision.
Highlights:
- The conversation with Doug Wilson (Director, Western Region Utility Sales) was particularly engaging. His insights, drawn from over 10 years at the company, provided helpful context.
- The recruiter was supportive and communicative throughout, especially when preparing me for the later stages of the process.
Observations:
- During the fourth interview, the VP of Product Management (Joe) mentioned there were no notes in the system and was unaware of previous conversations. He assumed he was the first person I’d spoken with post-recruiter, which suggested some internal coordination challenges.
- There was noticeable overlap in questions between the hiring manager, panel, and VP interviews.
- The CEO interview focused on resume line items such as “How would you pull info from a SQL table?” The recruiter warned me that this interview would be more probing in nature.
Takeaway: The interview process felt overly drawn out, redundant, and lacking in internal coordination, a reflection, perhaps, of the company’s culture and pace. While there were some thoughtful conversations, the overall experience left me questioning how candidates are valued during the hiring process.
Advice to Future Candidates: Expect a long, multi-stage process with repeated interviews and extended timelines. After seven interviews over two months, I was not extended an offer. Consider whether this reflects the type of interview experience and company you’d like to invest in.