I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Apptio (Bellevue, WA) in Oct 2010
Interview
In-person interview consisted of "logic puzzles" and one hypothetical about handling a business problem that would be typically encountered in this job at this company. No questions about my resume, my experience or about what i would bring to the company. Hiring manager seems to be inexperienced and it felt like a "my brain is bigger than your brain" kind of interview. He mocked a previous job applicant's intelligence in the middle of my interview (called him dumb as a stump or something similar) , and then revealed he didn't know my name. I became quite rattled and couldn't get on track (my bad, I know). Know that you will need to "manage the manager" in this case and be prepared.
The company seemed fine; like some high-tech start-ups the atmosphere is charged; the people have an air that they are pursing very important business. I had the sense that this would be a fun place to work if you like energy and hard work; the company will no doubt do well and you will be well set up to grow a lot professionally. The downside is that they are growing so fast people are being promoted beyond their range of competence. This results in things like my interview, which was unprofessional and frankly quite demeaning. I've never been through an interview where I walked out feeling so thoroughly slammed down; it was pretty awful and I'm just glad I got another job offer later that month (at a different company).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Just read any logic puzzle book out there to prepare.
In short this process was poorly designed and wasted hours of my time.
First before speaking with anyone they make you take an asinine personality and what appears to be a basic IQ test.
I had an initial phone screening with HR that went well and I was nearly immediately asked about the next step.
That next step was a technical interview that I had also thought went well. I had more than enough experience to draw on and they mentioned zero concerns about my ability to do this job. Shortly after this interview I was asked about the next step.
The third step (of 5) was a presentation where I was to present my findings on data files they sent me. I went above and beyond the ask, spending hours of my time on this to polish it. Days after sending this back to them they informed me that they were not continuing with me due to the previous phone screening.
I was and still am baffled by this. If the decision was made to not go through with me or you weren't sure yet then why waste my time on this presentation? I have asked why I was not considered and have received no response.
I suppose it's for the best as if a company is this scattered with the interview process it likely means they aren't the best to work for, a warning to anyone considering employment here.
I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Apptio (Bellevue, WA) in Jul 2010
Interview
I had two phone interviews. They were both scheduled by the recruiter at the staffing agency I had established contact through. The second interview took a very long time to schedule - mostly because the interviewer kept having to reschedule over and over. It actually came to the point where I had considered declining the interview because I was tired of getting rescheduled. Clearly, hiring was not a priority.
There also seemed to be a disconnect in regards to the job that was described to me by the staffing agency and the actual interviewers at the company - so make sure you get more details in the interviews (don't take a recruiter's description as "accurate"). They are straightforward. The first interview ended with the interviewer telling me directly that he'd be getting in touch to schedule a second interview. The second interviewer thanked me for my interest in Apptio with no additional hint of follow-up. I was told several days later that they weren't interested, which is what I had already figured out based on the lack of interest in the interviewer's voice and a more timely response.