One day after applying through their website, a recruiter emailed out an assignment to gauge applicants’ ability to respond in writing to a variety of customer inquiries. After completing that, approximately one more day later, I was scheduled for a phone screen with the recruiter. The screen was slightly under 30 mins and went over both personal and work history as well as why I wanted to work at Slack. At the end of the interview we discussed next steps and I was scheduled a couple days later (if I recall correctly) to have another phone interview, this time with the customer experience manager for my city. With this phone screen, similar questions were asked to the initial interview. They were still not really behaviourally-focused but I appreciated the getting-to-know feeling that accompanied these interviews. Make sure to have questions ready! They give a lot of great opportunity to ask questions. At the end of this interview, I was informed that the recruiter would reach back out to schedule an in-person interview at the office. This took some time but they got back to me after a few days with a time slot. On-site I met with an amazing girl who had the role I was applying for already. She was really warm and helped start off the process on the right foot. She had me complete one more writing assignment similar to the first one that was emailed out originally. Then we had a nice chat about my work history and who I am as a person. After this, I met with the customer experience manager I had already spoken with and had another great chat. He asked similar questions to the first girl but also gave a lot of great insight into how he leads his team. I felt very comfortable talking to him and maybe would advise people to stay assertive and professional instead of being lulled into a sense of security, because it is still an interview. 😅 Make sure you speak confidently and make concrete points with conviction. I then touched base with the recruiter before heading into my last interview with a team lead for the customer experience role and someone who also already held the position. This is the part that feels the most unbalanced, because we all of a sudden start jumping in to behaviour-based questions that seem comparatively cold to what had been previously discussed in the first 1.5 hrs. I think the important thing to keep in mind here is that although Slack really cares about the personalities of the candidates, that doesn’t mean you can just forget to talk about your prior work history. Maybe that’s just a “me” problem 😂 but I found the transition jarring and probably didn’t list enough concrete examples of prior experience in the field. Instead, in order to feel more “in my comfort zone”, I used vague language to make recounting prior experiences feel more more “safe”, since I’m particularly forgetful. I think this came across as less assertive than maybe other candidates were. Overall, I think you need a good balance of empathy, good communication skills, as well as being able to articulate your track record efficiently. I recommend making lists of specific past customer and teamwork experiences to prepare. Just because Slack values the way you ~feel~ to them for the majority of the interview process, don’t forget to back it up with facts too! I was called two days after my final interview with feedback which I loved! If I would’ve had to wait over the weekend or not get feedback at all I would’ve been upset. The entire process took approximately two weeks.

The interview process was long, draining and a waste of time. They first contact you to complete a writing exercise. Then a recruiter will email you a few days later and let you know they would like to set up a phone interview[that’s if they like your answers in the writing exercise]. The phone interview was pretty straight forward. Then a week later, I got an email informing me that they would like to set up a Zoom interview with their hiring manager. The interview with the hiring manger went well. And I was then informed a week later that they want to move me to the final round, which is the “panel” interview. I was prepped a few days prior with one of their recruiters, she told me the questions I would be asked, and gave me pointers on how to do well. There were a total of 12 questions or so I would be asked amongst the 3 interviews. 30 mins before the panel interview, I was given a small writing exercise by the recruiter to complete before my first interview. Yes, I said it , ANOTHER writing exercise. Totally didn’t understand why they needed for someone to do these “tests”. Anywho, after that, I started my first interview for the panel, I then had 2 more to follow. Then things were wrapped up by the recruiter. I personally thought I did well and answered questions the way they wanted. They made me think I answered the questions that fully satisfied their requirements.. boy was I wrong. 2 days later I was called by the recruiter to be told they will not be hiring me. I’m not sure how I can describe the feeling when I was told this.. they basically wasted my time going through this rough, extensive and unnecessary interview process, just for them to tell me I don’t fit the role. I’m thinking they should have known I wasn’t the right fit from the first damn interview. But I guess not. I personally feel there was another hidden agenda as of why I didn’t get the position. They made a huge mistake and whichever buster they chose, was clearly somebody who didn’t have as much personality as me. I was personable and relatable. I have 6 progressive years in customer service and can handle any task I’m provided with. Needless to say I’m offended they thought they could do better than me. If you want your time wasted after 4 weeks, apply for this company. Clearly they have bad judgement on who they decide to recruit. THE END.