Process
I applied through a recruiter for a Software Engineer position at the London office.
The first call was with the recruiter, who was very prompt and answered every question I had. They were super helpful and made me feel at ease.
After that, a pair programming round was scheduled, which got rescheduled due to some issue at their end.
Finally, I had the pair programming round for 45 minutes, where there were two engineers from their end. One didn't speak throughout the whole interview, and the other was rude. It felt like they didn't want to be there to take the interview.
The interview started with them giving me a HackerRank link and saying that we didn't have enough time for introductions and should start the interview as quickly as possible. It was a currency exchange question.
The question was explained to me, and then I was given some time to think and ask questions. After answering some of my questions, we delved deeper into the discussion and started building a cache based on a timestamp. I explained my whole thought process throughout the interview, writing pseudocode along with it. Then, a few follow-up questions were asked, and I answered them, too.
At around the 25-minute mark, they said they were done and didn't ask me to code the rest of it or even the original question. I was given the opportunity to ask a few questions, and then around the 30-minute mark, the interview was over.
The next day, I received the rejection email without any feedback. I replied to them asking for some feedback but haven't received any reply. Once you get rejected, you are no longer valuable to them, it seems.
Overall, the interviewer was very rude. The blog suggesting the interview would be LeetCode/HackerRank style is misleading. The pair programming was only me programming, and I heard their voice in between with a "hmm, hmm." The company's product and vision are what attracted me, and I wouldn't mind reapplying, but the interviewers have put some serious doubts about the engineering people and culture.
Questions
Implement currency rate API, which then became: Implement cache to store, update, and get currency rates.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 28 interview experiences for the Wise Software Engineer role in London, England.
Success Rate
Wise's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in London, England is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having good feelings for Wise's Software Engineer interview process in London, England.
Wise Work Experiences
- 3.0Good Perks, Bad Engineering ManagementSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeTallinn, EstoniaNovember 15, 2023Pros: Good equipment, culture, perks, and benefits.Cons: In my opinion, it faces problems with management in engineering teams. But people usually only talk about it behind the scenes. Obviously, when you are not affected, it is amazing.
- 3.0Don't be fooled by the startup veneerSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeTallinn, EstoniaDecember 6, 2023Pros: - No uptight corporate bull$#!t. - Remote working is welcome. - Still growing after over a decade.Cons: - They work very hard to pretend they're still a startup. - The pay is way below market, even if they insist it's not. - Work/life balance is non-existent: they pretend work starts at 9 and ends at 5, but in effect, you're expected to give more. - Ageist, non-inclusive tech-bro mentality (lots of inclusivity initiatives, but it's all whitewashing, greenwashing, and pinkwashing). - Corporate culture borders on cultish: they have their own language and like to pretend it's a humanitarian mission, not a for-profit multi-billion-dollar corporation. - There's no cushion to fall back on: you're only good for them while you're at your prime. As soon as you get sick or hit some personal roadblock, your days are numbered, and nobody will give you the time of day. - At the end of the day, they'll exploit you to the bones and spit you out.
- 4.0Good Company So FarSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeLondon, England, United KingdomMay 21, 2025Pros: Based on your team, I guess, but mine has been nice and I get to work on new projects quite often.Cons: Sometimes most of the Sprint effort goes into tech debt management, but I guess it is expected sometimes.
Wise Interview Questions
