I applied in-person. I interviewed at Alta Planning + Design (Portland, OR) in May 2018
Interview
The interview began with a whiteboard session with one of the principals, to whom I would be reporting to. It was very informative and engaging, she was wicked smart and delivered a fascinating snapshot into the business.
Things took a turn for the worse when the second portion began. A group of 3 came into the room, including the CEO who was nice enough. The other two principals were absolutely awful. They would ask a question and would look on condescendingly with the man actually SNEERING as I answered calmly. It was absolutely shocking and would have been very off-putting if it wasn't so absurd and surreal. The (very non-minority) woman was tasked with 'diversity initiatives' and asked how I would proactively promote diversity. I suggested that partnering with universities and groups would be a good start, yet that wasn't good enough for her. As though one can materialize minority engineers from thin air with a snap of one's magical HR fingers. The space clouded over with severe coastal elitism which completely drained the air from the room.
I was asked to hop on a few calls with others after the following week. Finally, they offered me about 25k below market and didn't end up extending an offer after I pushed back on the numbers. They do some cool projects, but no way I could deal w/ the smug. Not a good look, Alta.