The process lasted about two weeks.

I contacted DoorDash via Glassdoor. The screening interview with the recruiter went well. I was given a take-home test that involved writing an Android app. The app was generic: Connect to a server, download data, display data on screen, and allow some form of interaction with the data. I wrote the app using Kotlin/Rx.

After submitting the app, I received an email in a few hours stating that they were going to stage two. Stage two involved a phone conversation with an engineer to make sure I wrote the code and not someone else. The engineer asked me to implement a trivial change to the code, which I did.

Next, I received an invitation to an on-site. The on-site is five hours.

The first thing I was asked was to extend the code I had written. I was given 90 minutes. By the time all the hardware prep and the talking with the engineer was done, I had about 50 minutes remaining. The requested modification was non-trivial. It involved new UI, caching, and server interaction. I told the engineer that I would not be able to write this code in the given time. The engineer insisted that I do it anyway. I was able to complete the UI, but not the server interaction. The rest of the interview was standard and non-eventful.

I never heard from DoorDash again.

Several things of note:

• No one in the on-site interview had reviewed the code I submitted.
• Not a single question was asked about the app I submitted.
• If a successful interview requires an addition of a feature to the submitted app, this must be stated upfront. Why have me there for five hours if only the first 90 minutes matter?
• If you extend an on-site invitation, it's just common courtesy to follow up with an email.
• During the culture fit of the interview process, I was asked, "How do I contribute to diversity?" I am an older white male; what could I possibly say?

Write an Android App