Pretty standard/straightforward interview process. Recruiter screen > hiring manager interview > full loop + take home assignment. All of my interviewers asked 100% behavioral questions. Mostly pretty classic behavioral questions and experience deep dives like "tell me about a product strategy you managed". Overall I got a positive impression of the interviewers and the company, seems like a good place to work.
The only negative part of this process was the take home assessment. Smartsheet is basically asking candidates to write up a product enhancement for Smartsheet, which is generally a problematic choice for assignments. But it's particularly bad for Smartsheet as its quite a complex product, and just learning what the product can do and identifying gaps takes a bunch of time in and of itself.
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Smartsheet (Chicago, IL) in Mar 2022
Interview
Screen + PM from Project screening was smooth + PM was specific questions - lots of questions about my experience - quick turnaround they wanted a case study in the third options
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 7 weeks. I interviewed at Smartsheet (Seattle, WA) in July 2022
Interview
Began with recruiter, moving to hiring manager and then a loop with PMs, design, and engineering. Actual interviews during the loop were heavy on white boarding, which was fun! I genuinely got the sense everyone was intelligent and cared a lot about the product experience. In short, I got a great impression of the product team from my interviews.
After the interview process I was told I did well during my interviews and they wanted to place me in a PM role, although they weren’t sure which role because of changing budget timelines. This is where the process broke down. Over the next few weeks I was left hanging. My point of contact was through the internal recruiter. They setup meetings which they missed, sent emails which they didn’t respond too, and was generally poor at communication. In the end, the recruiter came back and said they didn’t have a role for me and I was welcome to apply again through the normal intake process in the future. I told the recruiter I figured this was the case early due to their poor communication and shared my frustration with the process post loop.
In summary, probably an amazing company to work for but pretty confusing and demoralizing if you’re a candidate stuck in limbo.
Thank you for taking the time to share feedback about your interview process. I’m grateful for your interest and time investment in Smartsheet. Actively learning through experimentation is one of our core values and I’m pleased to hear you enjoyed the manifestation of this in the creative elements of your interview. I completely understand your frustration with the communication breakdown you experienced. We aim to provide a transparent and respectful process for all candidates, regardless of the outcome, and I apologize this was not your experience. Honest feedback like yours helps us reflect and adapt our best practices as we continue to work in progress. Thank you again for sharing your experience.
– Megan Hansen, Chief People & Culture Officer