Software Engineer Interview Experience - San Francisco, California
Process
I applied online and was scheduled to speak with a recruiter within a few days.
The phone call felt very forced, and it was clear that the recruiter had no direct involvement with the team and no interest beyond meeting a quota for the number of résumés she submitted to the hiring manager.
I was told that the next step would be a six-hour coding exercise – yes, six hours – before I had spoken to a single member of the actual team.
This approach felt typical of inexperienced leadership that relies on "college hazing rituals" to build teams, so I was immediately turned off. However, the recruiter mentioned a $200 Amazon gift certificate upon completion, so I pretended to go along with it, hoping to connect with someone who actually understood the team's needs and the role.
I did manage to speak briefly with the person who emailed me the assignment, but the experience did little to change my opinion that Airtable engineering is extremely junior-heavy and unable to conceive of a meaningful recruiting process.
I spent about an hour and a half on the assignment, submitted it, and received the $200 certificate from an automated system. I heard nothing back after that and believe I made the right decision.
Questions
Build an entire calendar app from scratch.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 6 interview experiences for the Airtable Software Engineer role in San Francisco, California.
Success Rate
Airtable's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in San Francisco, California is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having negative feelings for Airtable's Software Engineer interview process in San Francisco, California.
Airtable Work Experiences
- 3.0Skilled Team, High PressureSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesJanuary 24, 2023Pros: Experienced Engineer team, high efficiency.Cons: Bad work-life balance, very high peer pressure.
- 1.0It used to be the best place I've ever worked. That place now only lives in my memoriesSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesJanuary 12, 2024Pros: The pre-COVID Airtable, up to about late 2022, was an amazing place to work. Top-tier talent across all functions, from infrastructure to brand, and top-tier product that users loved. It had a strong culture, especially during the remote times, and outstanding perks, like a generous Learning and Development budget and an Equinox membership. That is long gone. There is still some good remaining, however. Namely, the ICs that haven't left are incredible in their resilience and belief in the product. Line managers I've encountered have also come across as competent and empathetic, which are words I wouldn't use to describe the people above them.Cons: All the people that made this place fantastic have been laid off, or left on their own accord due to the demise of our culture and clear product vision. The lack of confidence in leadership is felt throughout the company, which creates a constant sense of unease in the air. Everyone is thinking the same thing, but doesn't want to say it out loud. Despite losing so many people, leadership has become somehow more needlessly bureaucratic and impersonal. With 49% of the company laid off, you would think many of the processes that slowed us down would be eliminated. This is coupled with no transparency regarding decision-making processes, especially decisions that are made last-minute, of which there are plenty. Deep lack of empathy from the leadership for both users, the product, and employees.
- 1.0Good until layoffsSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesSeptember 15, 2023Pros: Comp is decent. People are good.Cons: Layoffs, too much process. Financials, meh.
