I applied through university. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Alibaba Group (San Francisco, CA) in June 2016
Interview
First of all I have to admit that I did not interview well myself. I felt it didn't go well right after. I'm here though to say that my experience overall with this company was quite unprofessional from the beginning. My first Skype interview was not only cancelled once at the last minute, but three times...and the third time they didn't even reach out to me to tell me it was canceled, I had to. The interviewer was from San Francisco, but couldn't figure out the time in my city. She kept on quoting incorrect times that a simple Google search would have done for her. It was very confusing logistically. The interviewer was not very warm at all either. Very stoic with very little emotion. Finally at then end of the interview she's let me know in 5 business days whether or not I made it to the second round which was to be another HR Skype interview. Third round was to be an on-site interview in China. Unfortunately they communicated nothing to me at all after the first round. I only knew I didn't make it when over a month later they asked one of my classmates to China. I don't mind not making it to the next round, I do mind be treated respectfully and at least being told my status in a timely manner.
Questions
a. Grad Date
b. Salary Expectations
c. Briefly go over your profile and what your aspirations are for the future.
d. Why did you choose your MBA program?
e. Tell me about a time where you had to embrace change?
f. Tell me about a time where you were found a new way of approaching a problem.
g. Tell me about a time where you made a mistake.
h. Tell me about a time where you had a challenge with someone from another culture.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time where you had a challenge with someone from another culture.
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Alibaba Group in Jan 2017
Interview
I applied online before mid December, but it was not before end of January that I received an email from their HR setting up a first interview. I was surprised to be contacted as large companies usually always snub me.
As I read on many other reviews here, the people dealing with you are completely without empathy and quite 'mechanical'. They do not care really about the interview nor in setting any sort of relation to you. Their tone of voice and questions are like robots.
Being a new program, there's little or no info of AGLA on the internet. Even the job description only talks about some rotational duty between different departments (for which no experience is required) and living for a year in China at Alibaba's HQs. That's it. It was impossible to prepare an interview based on their expectations as there's not even a job description.
Anyway, I had heard they ask behavioral question so that was about it.
Interview was scheduled from California offices (I'm in Asia) with a departmental manager.
As usual the young HR person makes a huge mess with timezones and availabilities but works out eventually. 9am Skype interview. I did not have a webcam so I tell the interviewer that I cannot be seen. Anyway, the block by HR was 1hr (9 to 10am). However the interview lasts about 29 minutes. In the first half I answer common questions but then, when it's my turn to ask question, the interviewer does not even bother to explain what is it like to work at Alibaba and what the role is like or about (I imagined she may have not even know herself as AGLA is such a new project).
For everybody else wondering how this recruitment works apparently there will be 1 more round of interview if you pass the first, plus a trip to China to meet senior executive(s) for the final round.
I was told I would be notified in a week about the outcome, but considering my long experiences with interviews plus gut feelings, I can tell this was one of the worst I had in my life and nothing will come out of it.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Q: Where are you currently based?
Q: What are you doing at your current job?
Q: Tell me of a time when you had to handle conflict?
Q: How exactly did you participate in resolving such conflict?
Q: Explain how leadership was exercised among your team [in certain scenario I had told earlier]? What's the structure of your team like?
Q: What would you improve from this experience?
Q: Do you have any question for me?