First, I spoke with the hiring manager about the team and the role. Next, I completed a data science take-home challenge. While some may claim the process takes four hours, I doubt that number is anywhere near the empirical mean. Then, I participated in a full day of onsite interviews, I believe five in total.

I received feedback indicating I performed well during the interviews. However, the offer was for a role below what we had discussed in advance. It doesn't truly matter if this was an intentional bait-and-switch or an internal mix-up – in either case, the hiring manager overpromised and underdelivered. This demonstrated that I could not rely on the hiring manager. Based on this experience and two earlier specific instances, I lost confidence in him.

I recommend this: listen closely and trust your instincts.

If you are a motivated and driven software engineer, I would advise against working at Capital One. Many people in my network also recommend against it. Most talented individuals I've known at Capital One have since moved on to other opportunities.

Consider it this way: if you are going to work for a for-profit organization in the financial services industry, they should offer competitive pay. Capital One does not.

Capital One may claim they differentiate in terms of work-life balance, but such a claim is exaggerated and certainly not universal. Be sure to compare such claims against other companies you are considering – many large companies I know are not significantly different.

There is one positive aspect about Capital One: use their interviews as practice. The interviewers I met were pleasant people. The interviews are not particularly challenging compared to top Silicon Valley interviews, so it can be a useful experience if you have a day to spare.

I'm not going to share the interview questions I received, because I don't think doing so is ethical.

I will say that I think the questions were mostly reasonable.

Study computer science, systems architecture, and machine learning. Don't forget to practice your behavioral interviews, e.g., teamwork, conflict, and so on.