I applied online.

I received a quick email from a recruiter asking me to complete a 2-3 hour technical exercise (coding challenge).

A few days later, I received an email from the recruiter asking to schedule an interview. There was no description of the interview type, so I assumed it would be a typical technical interview.

The interview was an awkward, non-technical video conference. Only one of the interviewers couldn't get his camera on, so he could see me, but I couldn't see him. The discussion focused on communication and interpersonal skills (e.g., how do you help someone that is struggling, how do you explain a database to a 10-year-old).

The interview was over two weeks ago, and I have never heard back from anyone.

Overall, my experience was that the process is very unprofessional.

I did not have an intro phone screen with a recruiter to explain the position, verify a potential fit, and ensure alignment on compensation. Essentially, I spent hours solving a coding challenge for a job I didn't even know I wanted. This is not a respectful use of my time. The reason I proceeded was due to the high reputation and industry hype surrounding GitHub.

During the interview, it became clear that this was not a good fit and the position did not appeal to me. This could have been identified much earlier.

Never getting back to me is also disrespectful. The least a professional hiring manager or recruiter could do is send a quick email stating there is no fit.

Overall, I would not consider applying for a position at GitHub in the future, nor would I recommend anyone else do so.

How would you explain a database to a 10-year-old?

Coding challenge: build a simplified version of Battleship.