Solutions Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Algolia with 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 100% positive. To compare, the company-average is 48% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
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I applied online. I interviewed at Algolia in Apr 2021
Interview
First interview round was with the hiring manager, tested basic technical knowledge and sales acumen. Gave information about on-target earnings compensation with ratio at 75%/25% with a base salary ranging from $115k-$130k, and described the interview process, technical screen and mentioned that there would be a take-home technical assessment.
Second interview round was with the Senior Manager of Solutions Engineering. Covered experience and work history and what I was looking for in my next role. This interview went well and I was informed that they would move me to the next round which would consist of some algorithms and data structures puzzles. There were some schedule conflicts on their side so I didn't get the opportunity to get all my questions answered. I was encouraged to send remaining questions via email which I did however no response to those questions was ever given.
Third round included Senior Manager of Solutions Engineering and a Senior Solutions Engineer. For the technical screen they required that I open an editor and share my entire screen in the meeting. Ground rules were no googling for answers, some documentation may be used, e.g. MDN. Wasn't informed about a full on whiteboarding session. In the past this company is known to not use whiteboarding and prefers take-home challenges. Went ahead with screenshare however we ran into a technical issue. The screensharing function was just displaying a black screen. We decided to reschedule after I was able to troubleshoot the issue on my end. They could just use a coderpad for this type of test but apparently have trust issues about candidates googling answers to their leetcode problems?
Rescheduled the interview with the coordinator after letting them know what happened and promptly received another meeting invite after being assured that this was no issue. Two hours later I received another email from the hiring manager that stated they decided to move forward with other candidates.
Based on other reviews/responses here it seems that there was a change in leadership which might explain why this process was so scatterbrained. Still no excuse to flat out lie to candidates and deceive them about whats expected during the interview process.
I applied online. I interviewed at Algolia in Mar 2021
Interview
I applied online and then a recruiter reached out to me to schedule an interview. The recruiter was really nice and friendly and seem to like my background a lot and stated that it will be a great fit and is looking forward to move me to the next steps of the process. The recruiter thoroughly explained each step of the process and said that the process is usually pretty quick and that I should hear back as soon as the end of the day (it was a Friday) or the latest on Monday. The recruiter also promised to send demo links for me to play around with the product to get more familiar with it. It went great, I sent a follow up email to say thank you. The recruiter might seem overly friendly since the recruiter stated that this process can be expedited because of some special relationship with my next interviewer. I did not put too much thought into it and just shrug it off.
Monday comes, did not hear anything. I scheduled a phone call to just follow up since I still have the calendar link from the previous email.
The recruiter did not call me. I sent an email to follow up again and reschedule. But received an automated response that the recruiter was no longer with the company. This happened within one week.
On the automated email, there were instructions to contact the recruiter's manager. So I contacted the manager. Then an hour after, received an automated email message that they are moving forward with other candidates.
VERY UNPROFESSIONAL!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about your self, previous work experience, what are you looking for in your next role
Thanks for letting us know about your experience. Unfortunately, we had a contract recruiter that needed to leave her assignment quickly, so we apologize for the handoff. If you want more detail on why your candidacy was declined, please feel free to email recruiting@algolia.com. Best of luck to you in your search!
-Kristie Rodenbush, Chief People Officer
Very fast response if they want to move forward with your application. Initial call with recruiter, then you speak to the hiring manager, followed by a take home assignment, then a debrief session where you talk through what you did
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What languages are you familiar with and how do you feel about being technical