TL;DR: Not for ambitious professionals outside USA.

I am very disappointed about the interview process at such a promising company. Though I understand my opinion is affected by the rejection of my candidacy, I think my experience can save someone else's time and energy.

First of all, the initial stage before the actual technical interview was very long. It took me 3 weeks to get to the technical interview. More than that, a recruiter forgot to send me an invite for the technical interview (!), which is just silly for a remote-first company. Because of this fact, I had to have the technical interview while abroad on vacation (in order not to delay the answer to other opportunities).

Though the technical interview went pretty well and I felt everything was okay, I was rejected. Of course, I was very curious about the reason, and this is what I've got:

"We felt that you didn't stay long enough in each role you were on (we have the longevity requirement inside GitLab, which is good, to be more than 2 years in a company). Good technical knowledge in Javascript but lacking experience in Agile processes and in a Global environment."

I was very surprised because of these facts:

• My last job experience is almost 2 years; sorry for not having a couple of months more. Besides, if it is a required condition, I do not see the reason to wait 3 weeks to know this.
• All my previous positions involved working in Agile processes.
• I've successfully worked in international teams for years.

Another interesting thing you should consider when applying to GitLab is that they differ the salary based on your residence location. Ok, they give their "fair" explanation about that in their handbook, but I don't really think many talented developers would agree to get 2 or 4 times less than they could.

If you don't live in USA and the compensation for you is more important than the company name/popularity, then I assure you (not, really) that you can find much greater remote opportunities, as it was in my case, and I am very grateful that GitLab rejected me.

I wish all the best to job seekers. Never give up and get disappointed by rejections; you'll find something better.

What are the rem and em?