I applied through a recruiter. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Sonatus in Dec 2021
Interview
1 Zoom tech interview with an engineer first, then scheduled a full day of 5 Zoom tech interviews (incl. CEO and director). All interviews were in the same format, i.e., past projects and coding practice. A few interviewers asked about decisions in past projects.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Most interviewers asked easy level coding problems (e.g., array manipulation, some with corner case handling). One of them gave a hard problem.
I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Sonatus
Interview
Unconventional Software Engineer Interview Process.
As an experienced industry professional, I'm familiar with typical Silicon Valley interview practices. However, Sonatus's approach stood out as particularly intense and unconventional.
The virtual onsite interview consisted of 4 rounds of coding challenges, which seemed excessive. While brief discussions about background and project experience occurred, the focus was predominantly on coding exercises. All questions appeared to be sourced from LeetCode, making the process feel more like a coding competition than a comprehensive assessment of engineering skills.
Interview Structure:
4 rounds of coding challenges
Minimal time spent on background/experience discussion
LeetCode-style questions throughout
While two interviewers conducted themselves professionally, I had concerns with the approach of the other three:
Two interviewers turned off their cameras after presenting the coding challenge, appearing disengaged for the remainder of the session.
One interviewer's demeanor was confrontational, asking impractical questions and expressing visible frustration when responses didn't align with expectations.
Overall, the interview process felt overly focused on algorithmic problem-solving at the expense of assessing other crucial software engineering skills. A more balanced approach would likely yield better insights into a candidate's overall fit and capabilities.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Leetcode Questions, ranging from BFS/DFS and Search Questions
3 rounds of interviews. 1 with HR and 2 others technical. The first one 30 minutes the other ones took an hour. After passing the interviews fine after the last round haven't heard back from the company. Requested a response but didn't get any. No idea why it is so hard to respond and reject like a normal human being.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe projects that you worked on.
Other leetcode questions.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Sonatus (Sunnyvale, CA) in May 2023
Interview
People seemed nice, but the interview process was really long, dragging out over 4 weeks. The product looks clunky and complicated to use. The CTO contradicted several things the hiring manager previously said, which was a big red flag.
Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Sonatus with 2.7 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 33% positive. To compare, the company-average is 40.7% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Software Engineer roles take an average of 28 days to get hired, when considering 6 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Sonatus overall takes an average of 22 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Sonatus as a Software Engineer according to 6 Glassdoor interviews include:
Skills test: 23%
Phone interview: 23%
One on one interview: 23%
Group panel interview: 15%
Presentation: 8%
Background check: 8%
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