I recently went through Wise's interview process for a Senior Developer role, which consisted of 4 steps over 4 weeks:

• A recruiter screen
• A technical coding interview
• A design interview
• A final product interview

The first three stages were well-organized, with clear, objective questions aligned with the role’s requirements. However, the final product interview felt highly subjective and disconnected from the earlier technical discussions.

I shared my 12 years of experience in banking and finance, particularly in payment systems and fraud detection, emphasizing my passion for solving complex problems. While I highlighted the alignment of the role with my expertise and the hybrid working model, I was disappointed that my motivations were oversimplified in the feedback I received.

During the product interview, I responded to general questions about products I was proud of, but the conversation did not shift toward Wise’s own products or specific role-related challenges, despite my preparation on these topics. The feedback indicated that I did not demonstrate an understanding of customer problems, which I believe stemmed from the interview's focus.

Additionally, there was confusion regarding testing practices. I was informed by the developer team that testing environments were in place, yet the product lead questioned my stance on testing processes.

I expressed my preference for teams with strong testing practices and emphasized the importance of testing in payment systems. Despite highlighting my experience working without established test environments in medium-sized and startup companies, the feedback I received suggested that some teams at Wise might lack structured test setups and implied that I might be more suited to blue-chip organizations, as I may not feel comfortable in teams without robust testing environments. That feedback I received highlighted a possible disconnect between the Product and Development teams.

Overall, while the technical interviews were fair, the subjective nature of the product interview and apparent miscommunication left me feeling that the process relied more on luck than on demonstrated expertise and role alignment. I appreciate the opportunity to interview and hope that future candidates have a more aligned experience.

Why did you apply for WISE?