The interview process involved two rounds of eight interviews in total, with half focusing on technical skills and the other half on people management.

I was approached by Facebook for an interview, but they were very reluctant to disclose the specific role or seniority level. I felt I was being interviewed for a role that was too junior and raised this with the recruiters. However, I was asked to "trust the process."

The interview process was average, with the usual questions. It felt as though the interviewers were trained in Facebook's specific interviewing methodology and insisted on me providing very specific examples that fit their training, rather than examples that would give them the best insight into my skills and experiences. I tried raising this on three occasions without success; it felt like talking to a wall. For instance, an interviewer insisted on an example of a software development project during a project management interview, even though I could offer a non-code development project that was much more complex and relevant. Needless to say, software development didn't feature in the discussion at all, but I was specifically asked to focus on that. Talk about cookie-cutter.

The people management side was dominated by discussions on how one manages difficult conversations and performance management. This was a recurring theme. It felt like this was an issue for the company! I was asked if I could find an example where I had to sack someone.

Although the interviewers were pleasant, I was disappointed by the overall experience:

1. Facebook's approach was very much a cookie-cutter interview machine.
2. The culture they tried to portray felt inauthentic. For example, they emphasized feedback extensively, but after the interview, the feedback provided was generic, blunt, and brief. One could argue I was a perfect candidate with only one very minor point needing refinement.
3. When asking interviewers why they worked for Facebook, it felt as though the primary benefits were free food or great remuneration. I could have thought of better reasons myself.
4. Work-life balance was indicated as being somewhat of a challenge. So, if this is important to you, beware. Only two of the eight interviewers had children, and all were very young. This suggests the culture is geared towards younger generations, which is great but perhaps not as diverse as elsewhere.

The best part came after receiving feedback from the recruiter (if we can call it feedback). He informed me about a cool-off period of 12 months during which I couldn't apply for other roles at Facebook. Given that I didn't initially apply to work at FB and based on my experience, I would say this is... ermmm... unlikely. But thanks for letting me know :)

Describe a software development project you led and your approach.

How do you manage difficult conversations?

Have you ever sacked anyone?

How do you manage underperforming employees?