The process was very professional.
First, there was a recruiter screening call. It’s nice when a company invests human time to speak with you before asking you to spend time on technical assessments.
Next, I had two 30-minute audio calls with engineers on the team followed by a call with the lead engineer. I then completed a take home skills test which took 2-hours (unlimited time) and was interesting but not difficult. All three interviewers asked detailed questions about my prior relevant work.
Finally, I had a 30-minute, audio-only technical interview, which was a bit awkward and not a meaningful assessment of my capabilities. The interviewer presented a problem verbally. The solution I suggested in the beginning was summarily rejected, yet at the end, he revealed the same idea to in fact be the solution. In any case, my second suggestion was better overall, which I am not sure he understood.
Immediately after that interview, I spoke with director of engineering who drilled me on my prior projects and then gave generous time to answer my questions.
Unfortunately, they decided my experience was not impressive enough and chose another candidate. Sigh. I have 12 years of experience, and more work at mediocre companies won’t make me a better engineer. Talent >> experience. One day, I still hope to work with A-players.
Good luck guys!