Interviews went really well until the third and final stage. Where you are given an excel assessment and then supposed to have a "conversation" about your life and what has shaped you to be who you are.
i.e No Professional experience is expected to be talked about here...
Initially, I asked the panel of 3 what were the company values as this was nowhere communicated on the website. To my surprise when they then reached out for a third interview they discovered what their values were and it seemed like they were now benchmarking Shopify by adopting its "Life Story" Interview format and some of its values. Apparently, you're to sell yourself on these newfound values...in a presentation.
The real negative experience here is that it's NOT a conversation but rather a presentation. They sit back look at you and are now going to judge your life experiences to supposedly identify if you are a "culture fit". By butting in here and there... You should consider that this is already a vulnerable ask... I get that you want to keep your start-up "family vibes" going but culture in an organization is going to be dynamic not everyone is gonna be a cookie-cutter and you're no longer a startup perse. I can't say otherwise because I am yet to receive feedback as to where I didn't meet "the cut" in the process.
I'm not convinced the team is sure what their culture really is or what their values really are. Clear communication as to what is to be expected would be very helpful to aspirants.