I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Thales (Paris)
Interview
Got contacted by a thales recruiter by phone to talk about an offer, my profile, my expectations, and to set a date for an on-site interview. Conversation lasted around 15 minutes.
There were 2 interviews. One with the project lead, his higher-up, and an other employee who didn't speak a word for the whole thing. Besides the regular questions about my profile and my previous jobs, they seemed to struggle when it came to actually describe the position they were offering. It looked like they weren't sure why they wanted to hire additional employees on the project.
The second interview was with a young and inexperienced HR employee. Nothing out of the ordinary here. It was a fairly run-of-the-mill HR interview. Questions about academic background, job history, desired career path, strengths and weaknesses, ...
The interview process was well-structured and professional. It included an initial HR screening followed by a technical interview focused on practical scenarios.
Communication throughout the process was clear and timely, and the Team left a strong impression of a positive and supportive company culture. The interviewers were knowledgeable and created a comfortable atmosphere, which made it easy to engage in meaningful discussion.
Overall, a very positive experience with a fair assessment of relevant skills.
I applied online. I interviewed at Thales (Amsterdam) in Jan 2026
Interview
I applied for a position in the Netherlands and was contacted twice by phone to provide personal information. After supplying all requested details, I was later asked to complete an additional form containing similar information, without clear justification.
During the process, I requested clarification on fundamental employment terms, including salary range, contract type, vacation entitlement, and relocation support. These questions were not answered in a transparent or concrete manner. Communication was handled via phone calls and SMS rather than written correspondence, and after requesting clarification by email, I was informed by SMS that I would not be invited to interview.
Based on this experience, I consider the recruitment process unprofessional, lacking transparency, and not aligned with standard professional hiring practices.
I applied online. The process took 8 weeks. I interviewed at Thales (London, England) in Nov 2025
Interview
Discussion with the talent acquisition partner, then a teams interview (informal) with the head of AI to determine if there were any appropriate roles for me. The company is going through some restructuring, so it was decided that there wasn't anything appropriate at the moment.