I applied online. I interviewed at Ableton (Berlin) in Feb 2024
Interview
Ridiculous "take-home coding test" with absolutely inappropriate scope (write an authentication service). Like why would you try to build a web service for authentication in vanilla Python? Dumbest idea I ever heard.
They didn't even look at my solution or considerations or provide feedback, I just got a generic rejection email stating "there were better candidates".
When I replied to the email asking for some sort of feedback on my solution (I spent hours on it), they told me they had too many candidates and could not provide any feedback.
Generic bs corporate laziness or greed. Idk, either way it is extremely disrespectful.
On top of that the salaries advertised were a solid 15k under market value.
I love Ableton Live. But I would not recommend trying to interview there unless you do not value your time.
They do not respect you or your time or energy. Best to take it elsewhere. This is the first time I've written a glassdoor review for an interview, that's how badly this stands out as a poor experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Write a user authentication service in Python without using any packages. In two hours.
Multi-stage process including a written application, a take-home technical challenge, and a full day of interviews with various teams. From application to first day at work was over 5 months.
- Homework task: Couple of days time to send back, C++
- Technical interview: 2 interviewers, 1 shadow
- Workshop day: Full day with debugging test, live coding, meeting with management leadership
Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Ableton with 3.5 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 75% positive. To compare, the company-average is 66.7% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Software Engineer roles take an average of 40 days to get hired, when considering 4 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Ableton overall takes an average of 43 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Ableton as a Software Engineer according to 4 Glassdoor interviews include:
Skills test: 40%
Group panel interview: 20%
Phone interview: 20%
One on one interview: 20%
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