My experience with the interview process at ID.me was nothing short of a disheartening journey through their disorganized and unprofessional hiring practices. I feel compelled to share my experience to warn other potential Product Manager candidates!
The interview process consisted of several rounds: a call with a recruiter (who wasn't an ID.me employee but a contractor), a video interview with the hiring manager, a take-home case study, a meeting with the hiring manager to discuss said case study, a so-called 'final' round with the SVP of Engineering, and then, to my utter surprise, they casually added on another 'final round' with two more Product Managers (I only ended up meeting with one of them).
Let's start with the case study round: I was given an incredibly vague prompt and told to spend a maximum of 2-3 hours on it, though it's common knowledge that candidates put in more time than that. The time was unpaid of course, and the information provided in my case study response was very real, applicable work to the product work I would have done had I been hired.
The cherry on top was that my submission, which I invested a significant amount of time and effort into, was apparently not what the hiring manager was looking for. Instead of providing clear guidance initially with their prompt, they opted to waste my time and theirs. After my interview to discuss the my case study response, the hiring manager requested another follow up email with more specifics about what they actually wanted, as if it wasn't their responsibility to make their expectations clear in the first place. Looking back it's laughable, really.
Moving on to the interviews, my 'final round cultural interview' with the SVP of Engineering was fine - by far the most enjoyable conversation of them all. However, that wasn't the end of it. I was later informed by the recruiter that there were actually two more interviews, even though they had previously labeled the interview with the SVP as the 'final round.' It's evident that there's a severe lack of communication and organization within the company.
The final straw was the generic 'thank you for your interest, but no' email I received even before my second scheduled 'final' interview. The first interview was terrible and I couldn't have connected with the interviewer less. Keep in mind I had already been back and forth with these guys a TON. At that point, I promptly canceled the second final interview.
In conclusion, the interview process at ID.me was a disaster, characterized by a lack of clarity, professionalism, and respect for candidates' time. I wouldn't wish this chaotic and frustrating experience on anyone, and I strongly advise potential candidates to think twice before subjecting themselves to this company and ordeal.
