Overall, I would probably go through the process again, but there is still very much room for improvement and lots to be wary about.

PROS

• Interviewers were very nice people.
• All of the questions I was asked were fair. No curveballs or gotchas.

CONS

• I actually failed my first phone screen with feedback saying that they were looking for candidates with better coding skills. I'm not sure how that was the case since my code had optimal complexity and pretty clean code (as clean as it can be when you're used to). This company should really just stick with canned, non-specific rejection emails. Plus, I was still hit up by a recruiter a month later and had a phone screen that I passed, so I'm not sure my coding skills were that bad.

• There was a big delay my second time around between talking to the recruiter and getting a phone screen. It was probably about a month.

• So for my second time around, the phone screen interviewer didn't say anything during the entire phone screen. I'm pretty sure he wasn't even on the Codepair link since I only saw my name up. It sounded more like he was just doing work or answering emails in the background.

• It seemed like Zillow is a bit Google-obsessed: same interview style questions, recruiters bragging that their engineers choose them over Google, and calling you for a rejection. Google and other big tech companies attract a certain, myopic kind of personality. Saying you have Google talent doesn't attract all of us. In fact, it's going to push some of us, like myself, away. In reality, Zillow might be a reputable tech company in Seattle, but it doesn't have the same clout in other cities, so there's no need to force that Google comparison.

• It seemed as if some of the questions I was asked about a current employer were loaded questions. I was asked if I was running away from anything, putting me between a rock and a hard place of not talking poorly about professional leadership but also not sounding congruent with some of that current employer's bad reputation.

• Usually, companies just email you to reject you. In this case, Zillow didn't get back for a week and made it over a phone call. Phone calls aren't that much longer than reading an email, but it's still a general waste of time in comparison. Moreover, the feedback I got was, "We had another candidate whose experience was better for the role, but all the interviewers wanted you to know that they still see you being a great fit for Zillow." This just comes across as fake. If Zillow really meant that, then they'd follow up with another onsite for a different role. It's at this point when I see why companies give canned rejection emails.

In general, I just think that Zillow is walking this line between trying to have Google-tier technical talent but also being the greatest place to work with the nicest people. This sincerity comes off as phony and forced because they're still a huge tech company.

I will probably interview with them again in the future, but will just be a bit wary.

LeetCode Style Tech Questions

System Design

Behavioral