Senior Software Engineer Interview Experience - Madrid, Spain
April 1, 2022
Negative ExperienceNo Offer
Process
I was so excited by this interview because I really like Datadog as a regular user from my current job. It's a great application.
The interviewer's native language was Spanish, like myself. So I asked her on LinkedIn if she wanted to switch to Spanish, but she didn't respond. Then, at the meeting, I asked one more time, very politely. No, she insisted on keeping it in English, even though the role was for the office in Madrid, España. She also said that it was important that I could write and speak in English, which I proved. Weird, but it wasn't terrible.
Before she started talking about the company, I decided to clear up my initial doubts:
-
Is this interview for the Madrid site only, or could it be for other sites? She didn't consider it and insisted that the position was for Madrid only.
-
Can I choose to work remotely and go to the office when I choose or when something comes up? She said no, that they work in a hybrid way (2 remote, 3 office), like a prehistoric company before Covid. I explained why I wanted remote work, even while being close to the office, but she didn't try to negotiate anything. I think she didn't like my approach, and she finished the meeting instantaneously. It's a personal record: only 7 minutes of interview!
Lastly, I started reading opinions here on Glassdoor about the offices, and there are too many complaints about how toxic they are.
My advice for people looking to choose a job is to pay attention to the maniacal control cultures that some companies still have. We've demonstrated that we work very well remotely. There are too many smart companies that trust their employees.
Questions
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 12 interview experiences for the Datadog Senior Software Engineer role in Madrid, Spain.
Success Rate
25%
Pass Rate
Datadog's interview process for their Senior Software Engineer roles in Madrid, Spain is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive75%
Neutral8%
Negative17%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Datadog's Senior Software Engineer interview process in Madrid, Spain.
Datadog Work Experiences
5.0
A great place to work as a frontend dev
Senior Software Engineer • Current Employee
New York, New York, United States
December 30, 2021
Pros: I've been at Datadog for 1.5 years now and I've had a good experience here so far, for a few reasons:
1. Frontend--The frontend web dev work is complex and interesting, and there is a ton of it. We have great frontend platform and design ops teams that support us, and we work with modern tooling and libraries. Notably, I feel valued for my frontend skills here in a way that I haven't at previous companies.
2. The product -- as a related point, the product itself is simply fun to work on. We do a ton of dogfooding of our own product at Datadog, and it's super motivating to work on a tool that I and my coworkers use every day and have a ton of opinions about how to improve.
3. Career growth -- the company is growing, and with that comes opportunities to try new things, take on new responsibilities, and get promoted.
4. Inclusion-- I can only speak to my own experience (I joined Summer 2020 so I've been mostly remote), but the culture seems pretty positive and professional. As a female software developer, I have felt supported, valued, and respected throughout my time here.
Cons: The company is growing, which comes with inevitable hiccups such as occasional changes in org structure and the continual need to hire more people to keep up with all the work.
3.0
Datadog isn’t remote-friendly anymore
Senior Software Engineer • Current Employee
February 13, 2025
Pros: 1. Founder-led with a long-term vision – Leadership prioritizes sustainable growth over short-term gains.
2. Industry-leading products – We dogfood everything internally, ensuring high quality and first-hand user experience.
3. Talented and collaborative colleagues – You’ll work with smart, driven people who are eager to solve complex problems together.
Cons: 1. Limited opportunities for remote employees – Remote employees have fewer career growth and internal mobility options compared to in-office counterparts. Strict location requirements severely limit my ability to pursue new roles within Datadog, as very few teams are open to remote hires anymore.
2. Lack of career growth opportunities – My responsibilities and impact have grown significantly, but this has not been reflected in my compensation. For example, despite leading a large team of engineers, my pay remains the same as an individual contributor. There is a disconnect between increased scope and recognition.
3. Lack of transparency – Leadership often makes decisions in isolation and communicates them only after the fact. Instead of fostering strong, autonomous teams capable of making informed decisions, there is a tendency to micromanage. Leadership should focus on enabling teams with the context and trust they need to drive decisions effectively. (This may be specific to my department, rather than the company as a whole.)
5.0
Very happy with Datadog so far
Senior Software Engineer • Current Employee
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
October 21, 2024
Pros: Hiring process:
The whole hiring process was great. The recruiters always told me about the next steps and what else was missing in the process. The process went quite quickly (in fact, I slowed it down a bit because I was doing another process). At the end, I had a team matching round where I was able to pick between 3 teams. I was also able to negotiate a pretty good compensation package.
Onboarding:
The onboarding was well organized. You have 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day "lookbacks" (reviews) to see if you're meeting expectations and what you should be focusing on. My manager is pretty hands-off and the team has been very welcoming, helping me with the ramp up and answering any questions for me.
The office:
I'm based in the Madrid office. You have to come 3 days per week. You have free lunches Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Most people either come Mon-Wed or Mon/Wed/Fri. The office usually organizes office-wide activities once a month. There is a mix of international and Spanish-speakers.
The company/Exec:
IMO Exec seems to have a clear direction for the company. Things get a bit more fuzzy at the team level, with Product and Engineering disagreeing on the specifics of certain OKRs/efforts (classic Tech). Depending on your Org/team, things can feel a bit more hierarchical, but overall I've had a very good feeling of the company.
Cons: I can't think of much. The 3-days per week office policy is okay, but I really hope they don't change it. Otherwise, I know a lot of people would be unhappy.
It also depends a lot on your manager or organization. I know some people come once or twice a week, and their managers don't care. Others would get a comment in their 1-1s if they haven't come 60% of the days to the office in a given month.
- 5.0A great place to work as a frontend devSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesDecember 30, 2021Pros: I've been at Datadog for 1.5 years now and I've had a good experience here so far, for a few reasons: 1. Frontend--The frontend web dev work is complex and interesting, and there is a ton of it. We have great frontend platform and design ops teams that support us, and we work with modern tooling and libraries. Notably, I feel valued for my frontend skills here in a way that I haven't at previous companies. 2. The product -- as a related point, the product itself is simply fun to work on. We do a ton of dogfooding of our own product at Datadog, and it's super motivating to work on a tool that I and my coworkers use every day and have a ton of opinions about how to improve. 3. Career growth -- the company is growing, and with that comes opportunities to try new things, take on new responsibilities, and get promoted. 4. Inclusion-- I can only speak to my own experience (I joined Summer 2020 so I've been mostly remote), but the culture seems pretty positive and professional. As a female software developer, I have felt supported, valued, and respected throughout my time here.Cons: The company is growing, which comes with inevitable hiccups such as occasional changes in org structure and the continual need to hire more people to keep up with all the work.
- 3.0Datadog isn’t remote-friendly anymoreSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeFebruary 13, 2025Pros: 1. Founder-led with a long-term vision – Leadership prioritizes sustainable growth over short-term gains. 2. Industry-leading products – We dogfood everything internally, ensuring high quality and first-hand user experience. 3. Talented and collaborative colleagues – You’ll work with smart, driven people who are eager to solve complex problems together.Cons: 1. Limited opportunities for remote employees – Remote employees have fewer career growth and internal mobility options compared to in-office counterparts. Strict location requirements severely limit my ability to pursue new roles within Datadog, as very few teams are open to remote hires anymore. 2. Lack of career growth opportunities – My responsibilities and impact have grown significantly, but this has not been reflected in my compensation. For example, despite leading a large team of engineers, my pay remains the same as an individual contributor. There is a disconnect between increased scope and recognition. 3. Lack of transparency – Leadership often makes decisions in isolation and communicates them only after the fact. Instead of fostering strong, autonomous teams capable of making informed decisions, there is a tendency to micromanage. Leadership should focus on enabling teams with the context and trust they need to drive decisions effectively. (This may be specific to my department, rather than the company as a whole.)
- 5.0Very happy with Datadog so farSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeMadrid, Madrid, SpainOctober 21, 2024Pros: Hiring process: The whole hiring process was great. The recruiters always told me about the next steps and what else was missing in the process. The process went quite quickly (in fact, I slowed it down a bit because I was doing another process). At the end, I had a team matching round where I was able to pick between 3 teams. I was also able to negotiate a pretty good compensation package. Onboarding: The onboarding was well organized. You have 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day "lookbacks" (reviews) to see if you're meeting expectations and what you should be focusing on. My manager is pretty hands-off and the team has been very welcoming, helping me with the ramp up and answering any questions for me. The office: I'm based in the Madrid office. You have to come 3 days per week. You have free lunches Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Most people either come Mon-Wed or Mon/Wed/Fri. The office usually organizes office-wide activities once a month. There is a mix of international and Spanish-speakers. The company/Exec: IMO Exec seems to have a clear direction for the company. Things get a bit more fuzzy at the team level, with Product and Engineering disagreeing on the specifics of certain OKRs/efforts (classic Tech). Depending on your Org/team, things can feel a bit more hierarchical, but overall I've had a very good feeling of the company.Cons: I can't think of much. The 3-days per week office policy is okay, but I really hope they don't change it. Otherwise, I know a lot of people would be unhappy. It also depends a lot on your manager or organization. I know some people come once or twice a week, and their managers don't care. Others would get a comment in their 1-1s if they haven't come 60% of the days to the office in a given month.
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