I applied, and ~3 months later out of the blue received an email asking me if I would be interested. I had already moved to another location, but the recruiter said that they hired remote as well.
Round 1:
The first round was a phone discussion with an Android engineer. Mostly a discussion of my background and what I was looking for. There might have been a few Android questions, I don't remember.
Round 2:
After that, I was given a take-home project to create a small Android app that does a few basic things, like loading data from an API. You could also share an app you'd already made instead. After my project was reviewed, they told me I made it to the final onsite round.
I was told that they have arranged for me to come into the offices, and instructions on checking in when I arrived. I didn't hear back or ask directly about travel accommodations, and booked a bus ride. For past interviews, these have been reimbursed so I kind of assumed that was the case, but I should have asked. I have family in NY so I didn't need a hotel or anything. The night before the interview, as I was just arriving in NY, I got an email with a schedule change that also said that the interviews would be conducted on Google Hangouts. When I asked about this, one of the coordinators said he thought the other one had corrected the mistake (apparently remotes don't go to the office for interviews). I wasn't reimbursed for the travel (~$80)
Round 3:
The onsite consisted of 5 interview rounds, 2 of them technical. For tech rounds, there are 2 interviewers. First, a coding exercise where they ask you to add new features or tests to your take-home project.
The 2nd round was a bunch of topical questions primarily about Android development & a few general software engineering. Their tech interviews didn't include any data structures/algorithms or system design questions. After the 2 technical, there were 3 interviews with Software Mgr, PMs, etc. These were behavioral, culture-fit, discussing my experience, etc.
I was told a few days after that I had done well on all but the 1st tech interview. They said they wanted to do a follow-up 45 min interview with similar structure - modify your project. If I passed this one, I'd have to work onsite for the 1st 3 months. This time I was asked to improve the error-handling code. I didn't do well in this format. If I was coding this IRL, I'm usually not going to just automatically start writing code. I need to look at the Retrofit docs as well as the API being used to see exactly what HTTP error codes and exceptions might be returned, and whether they are handled in onResponse() or onFailure(). For example, error codes are actually in onResponse(), not onFailure(). I want to think about and weigh different options and approaches. Not to mention that writing code while being timed with people watching & having to verbally explain what you're doing is extremely anxiety-inducing. There's no perfect way to interview a candidate, but I wish I wasn't rejected based solely on this format if the other 4 or so interviews & the project were good (which is what I was told).
I waited a couple days after that interview and then asked the recruiter if they had made a decision. She said they were still talking and would get back to me. I waited a few more days with no update, & had to ask the recruiter if they had made a decision yet. They said they were looking for someone more senior especially since it was a remote role.
PRO:
Overall, I think they have a pretty good interview process. I liked that a take-home project was a major part of it. I also appreciated that they gave me a chance for an Android role despite not having much professional experience in mobile development. Everyone there seemed really nice, too.
CON:
There were a lot of issues with communication throughout the process:
* I was told I would be coming into HQ for the interview, and not told that this was a mistake until I was already in NY. Would have been a lot easier to do the interview from home, & I wasn't reimbursed for travel.
* I had to ask multiple times about the status after the onsite. Personally I think you should let a candidate know either way after they interview. Even if its a canned rejection email that'd be better than having to check to make sure you're rejected...
Overall I'd say my experience was neutral, but would've been positive if communication were better. In terms of difficulty, I've done 4 onsite interviews, and this one was on the easier side but fairly comprehensive (whole process took 4-5 weeks).
