I had applied online and got back an automated reply with a link to their 3 hour coding challenge.
Overall, the interview process at Ritual seems very naive and it did not provide me an opportunity to show my experiences or strengths.
I have included my interview process and some feedback at the end.
Hopefully their team can incorporate the feedback to improve the situation.
Phase 1: Coding challenge.
This was straight forward and I was allowed to use a programming language of choice.
Phase 2: Call with talent acquisition.
I was told I had a near perfect score on the coding challenge. That led to believe I had passed the ‘initial’ programming bar they had set (I was very wrong about that).
Phase 3: Technical Phone interview. This phase was one of the worst experiences I have had recently.
Starting off, I was told I wouldn’t be judged on completion but rather on my approach and I would have 5 minutes at the end to ask them any questions.
I started with I scoping out a few approaches aloud, and went over the pros/cons and the time complexity of each.
1. The interviewer seemed very cold and critical the entire session. Instead of understanding my approaches they were quick to interrupt why my solution wouldn’t work. When I did explain them my solution (line by line), they refused to understand it and told me to carry on.
2. Even with the several interruptions I was able to put together the logic towards an ‘optimal’ solution.
3. The interviewer mentioned we were out of time and immediately ended the call - I didn't any time to get to know them or ask questions.
Two days later I got the rejection email with the feedback: “my code was incomplete”.
Here’s some feedback for the interviewers and/or the interview process at Ritual:
(Source: I’ve personally interviewed over 60 engineering candidates at my last work place)
1. Set the expectations right. Are you expecting completion or the thought process of the candidate?
2. If a candidate does well on the online coding challenge, communicate the purpose of the technical phone screen.
3. Provide training to the interviewing team. Aim to minimize interruptions when the candidate is coding and support them so they feel successful.
4. Provide good feedback post-interview.