Sr Data Engineer Interview Experience - United States
Process
The team itself was nice, and the interviews were fair. I was excited to possibly work there after meeting everyone and being told by the hiring manager and recruiter that the team enjoyed talking with me. They sold me on the position and strung me along past 6 rounds:
- Phone screen
- System design
- Data modeling
- Talk with VP
- Talk with hiring manager
They provided positive feedback at every stage, hinting that they would make an offer. I received an email just before Thanksgiving telling me that, despite all the positive feedback, a candidate who was ahead of me accepted an offer they had extended. This offer must have been outstanding while I was interviewing with the VP and hiring manager, and even when they decided to proceed to those last two interviews. Instead of being transparent about another candidate having an offer, they had me go through those final interviews and provided false hope. I even canceled some other interviews ahead of the holidays, thinking this role was a great fit for me. Usually, companies are transparent about such things, so that's a bit of a red flag.
Questions
Design a system for hosting a machine learning model to serve a client, in order to rank live streams by popularity.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Whatnot Sr Data Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
Whatnot's interview process for their Sr Data Engineer roles in the United States is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Whatnot's Sr Data Engineer interview process in United States.
Whatnot Work Experiences
- 5.0Challenging but rewardingEngineering Manager • Current EmployeeFebruary 16, 2024Pros: Whatnot has an innovative product, great leadership, and an engaged user base, which makes it an exciting workplace. We've also hired an excellent team with track records of success. I'm still learning the business and technology from them years after being here. Outstanding benefits, real focus on user outcomes.Cons: - Not a good fit for people looking for prescriptive, well-described roles. The business changes often, and with that, the priorities. - Full remote workplace makes communication a challenge, but constant effort is put in to improve.
- 5.0Great Job, Great Benefits, Great Leadership At The TopSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeNovember 13, 2023Pros: When it comes to salary and benefits, Whatnot is hands down a total leader in the industry. You would be hard-pressed to find a more generous offer at another company, especially one that is fast-growing like this one. Furthermore, the opportunity you have here with this product and growth is outstanding! Have an immediate impact, avoid meetings (we avoid meetings as a rule here!), and get your stuff to the customer!Cons: At a company that grows this fast, you are bound to get some weird, self-interested political behaviors that cloud the overall good feelings. There is definitely a sense of "every person for themselves" here, and you've got to play the game.
- 5.0Fast Growth, Fast ChangeSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeLos Angeles, California, United StatesOctober 17, 2023Pros: * Fast-growing company where every project is critical to the business. * Passionate employees. Many love the project and are avid collectors themselves. * Great pay and perks.Cons: * The company changes quickly, so the "rules" and expectations change every few months. * The semiannual review process is like for a 10k+ company and way overkill.
Whatnot Interview Questions
