Blizzard Entertainment Interview Questions & Reviews

Interview Details – It took a while before they got around to contacting me regarding my resume. In fact, I got the auto-generated "thanks but no thanks" email first. A few days later I got another email asking to set up an interview. After the phone interview, which was about an hour or so, they called back almost immediately to ask me to come to the office to "chat" in person. It was more of a "meet the team" than anything. The next morning I had an email asking to fill out an application with my job requirement. Within minutes of submitting this paperwork, I received a response letting me know that they would be offering me the job within the next few days.

Negotiation Details – It was very simple... I asked for what would be a realistic number for me to leave my current job, and they delivered. Some people may have been a little hesitant at first, because the "base" salary was lower than my "salary requirements"... however the added bonuses easily went beyond what I was asking for in terms of my yearly salary.

Interview Details – The first interview was about knowledge of blizzard games and computers in general.
Since this is a localization position a knowledge in a second language is also needed and a written test will be required for a localization position.

The second interview will be a skype interview in which you'll get to answer questions by two members of their localization team.

Reason for Declining – Salary is too low

Interview Details – My interview process consisted of 2 parts.

The first: the phone interview with a developer in similar role. It took 30 minutes to pass through all the questions. The questions were not difficult but touched variety of programming topics.
The conversation went well and I proceed to the second part.

The second: home programming task. This surprised me a lot as from the first glance required ~16 hrs of development, but actually took overall 24-30. I spent all the weekend and started to regret that I event started this interviewing process. I suppose that this is sufficient to give several hours assignment to check the skills. Investing such enormous input of time also doing complex projects at work is just unacceptable.

I submitted my solution on time, and was informed to wait for a week... One week passed, another one... silence.

At last I wrote a note to check what's going on and finally got a reply from recruiter after several days, that unfortunately the visa cap is reached and they are not accepting international applicants. Not a word about the skill test result etc.

I believe that the internal atmosphere in the company is seen from communication with recruiters, and experience with recruiters in this company is one of the worst so far.
I would not recommend anybody to apply unless you have a lot of time to waste.

Interview Details – They weren't exactly sure what this job would entail and even admitted that they didn't know what direction they were going to take as far as it being full time, pt, or contract.

Interview Details – Got an e-mail about two months after my initial application to schedule a phone interview. The e-mail said that I would be interviewed by more than one person, but I was strangely only interviewed by one person. The interviewer was nice and just went through the list of standard questions, and didn't ask too much about how much I knew about Blizzard. I got an e-mail two weeks later saying they went ahead with someone else.

Interview Details – Out of many companies that I have interviewed with in my life, this company in particular has quite a disorganized and horrible method of hiring people. It seems that they have an added step before a phone interview and in-person interview come into the picture. Nothing too unfair so far. It gets interesting...

For the positions that I got considered for in this company, they sent me an "email test". One is supposed to complete the email test which may consist of (in my experience): Coding (technical) question and several Gaming questions. There may be more than one coding problems and don't assume that this will be done in an hour or so. Coding question (atleast in my case), were either more than 1, or required many hours of development time. You may or may not be timed for completing this test. Catch is that you don't know what they're looking for exactly in the gaming and technical questions. So your answers are just your best effort with a great approximation. It is not like a phone or in-person interview where you can go back and forth until have you have the complete understanding of the question. They just won't speak with you until you have passed this test. After spending hours and hours of development time, you may be told the standard answer "After a "careful review", we have decided to consider other candidates, blah blah". I must beware you: I have seen the cases where a developer spent several days to get everything perfect, sent the test and within a few minutes or barely an hour, received a standard rejection email. Makes one wonder, what was missing there in that idiot test. Several hours/days of your life gone, before you even speak with a person about your job, what the job type is, what the responsibilities are, what work does team do etc etc etc.

After you have passed this obscure test by making the right guesses about what they've been looking for, you will be asked to provide a time for a phone interview. Questions here may depend on your position type and your luck. I am not going to reveal the questions.

If you have somehow managed to pass this round too, now will come the fun part. You will be told to fill out an employment form and a permission to do background check (even before you are hired and before you have gone for a 1:1 interview). You will be asked to provide an EXACT EXPECTED SALARY. Not expected range, not any other answer. An integer value which is meant to work against you. You will be kept completely in dark about what they offer (not even a range), what the job responsibilities are, you have not even met the team, you are not even told in some cases if the job position is basic, mid level or senior because the position that they may hire you for, may change based on your skills. You are given not even a hint beside what you already know....."Go look up online and provide me with a number". If you confront this by saying that you don't know anything about the position yet, you don't even know if there is a mutual fit or not and thus you would like to wait till there is a mutual fit, then you are bluntly told that if you can't provide with a number, they will terminate your hiring process right there and then. That is a BIG BIG sign of a type of company that you shouldn't consider (unless you're in a dire need of a job and will settle for anything). Technically, salary discussion does not even matter until a later stage because what if you're not hired after an in-person interview, what if you don't like the team, what if you don't like how the team is working or the person who will be your lead/your manager etc etc. A good company that cares most about a candidate (in my experience), never forces them to provide with an expected salary. But, this company requires an expected salary number with a threat to end the interview process immediately if not done so. So basically, no idea about the position title, no idea about the salary range because of that and no information from their end about a wide range either. Let us say, you're a nice one and you provide with a number, you're playing pretty much a game of Russian roulette. If you GUESSED the number that they like (or in their words, that they can afford), you're good. This just means that you have compromised your negotiating position. If you guessed a number that they don't like, you're done. No second chances, no discussion in general. Just standard email. Don't forget, this is all after you have spent hours and hours of development time in their email test, then prepared for a phone interview and interviewed with them on phone.

I personally know that I will stay away from this sub-standard company. I personally would rate their interview process as incredible horrible for the amount of money that they make . It will be a sheer luck if they pay you well in progression of your career.

Interview Details – First, I have always admired the work that comes out of Blizzard. I think StarCraft is a great game and I've enjoyed every release.

The interview process went fairly well until I was asked to take a test. I was told to complete three assignments in roughly 8 hours of my time. The test pertained to a real product and its different sections/features. The test requested that I provide a critique, revisions and wires.

Since when did it become the norm to ask highly qualified individuals with over 10 years of experience to take a test (provide free work)? I'm not trying to burn bridges but this is a bit insulting. This is why designers have portfolios. Past work and experience should be sufficient.

Also, I was told during the interview that they received a lot of requests for this position. The interview would require a trip to their office in Irvine, CA if selected based off the results of the test. This sounds like a contest to win a free trip or something.

Sorry but there are plenty of employers in the world who do not ask for lengthy tests and pay a lot more.

I'm very disappointed with this process. I was hoping for something more professional. You let me down Blizzard.

This is just silliness...

Interview Details – I was interviewed by two senior GMs, both of whom I still know and like, even after leaving the company. They were very easy-going and did not attempt to pull any trick questions on me--we had a real conversation through most of it, and it was not that huge an issue that I didn't know WoW very well at the time. If you have CS experience and seem like a culture fit, they don't really quibble over your interest in the game as long as you make it clear you don't mind learning about it.

Negotiation Details – They told me the starting wage (hourly $10 during training, with chances of raise/benefits after 90 days). If you pass the first three months with good metrics, you are made full time. If you suck it up, you are let go.

Interview Details – Sent resume and cover letter online. Recruiter contacted me and set up appointment with hiring manager. Phone interview with hiring manager. Senior recruiter follow-up.

Reason for Declining – Salary too low.