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Web: www.pixar.com | HQ: Emeryville, CA

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Updated Jan 27, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.

Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 18 ratings

3.1

“Average” Interview

Interview Experience [?] Based on 18 ratings

Positive	61%
Neutral	22%
Negative	17%

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11–18 of 18 Pixar Interviews

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3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Apr 2010 in Los Angeles, CA (took 1+ week)

it was a phone interview. they were very nice and asked me questions like what i expected out of the job and what previous experience i have that relates to the job.

Interview Questions

What do you look for in this job?

Answer Question

What makes you qualified for this job?

Answer Question

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

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Helpful Interview?

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Inappropriate?

5.0

Very Difficult Interview

Overall Negative Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Apr 2009 (took 4 weeks)

Really stressful interview. We went over my portfolio and resume and he asked me a lot of technical questions such as what I did on Maya and what my style is.

Interview Questions

Why do you want to work for pixar?

Answer Question

What past projects have you done?

Answer Question

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.

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Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Declined Offer

Interviewed Dec 2009 in Emeryville, CA (took 4 weeks)

It was a campus interview. It took half an hour.

Interview Questions

which programming language do you know? Do you know C/C++

View Answers (1)

Other Details

The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.

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Helpful Interview?

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Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Mar 2008 in Emeryville, CA (took 2 days)

I got an on-campus interview first with another Software Engineer. They asked some technical questions as well as behavioral questions. Overall it was a 30 minute interview. Then I got a phone call from the recruiter, stating that Pixar was interested, and went on to the second stage of the interview. I then interviewed with two managers from the Tools group. The interview consistent of coding questions regarding C++ and object-oriented design. They also asked me questions about my previous work experience.

Interview Questions

What is polymorphism?

View Answers (1)

Negotiation Details

No I did not negotiate since it was just an internship.

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

View Comments (2)

Inappropriate?

1.0

Very Easy Interview

Overall Negative Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Jan 2010 in Emeryville, CA (took a day)

I applied then a couple weeks later flew in from seattle area to california for a 1on1 inteview and got hired wth a signing bonus of $5,000

Interview Questions

What do you bring to the table

View Answers (1)

Negotiation Details

we negotiated my rate of pay and i asked for atleast $100,000 a year

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Jan 2008 in Emeryville, CA (took 4 weeks)

They are pretty competitive to even get an initial response; however, once they do, they are pretty good about getting back to you quickly. Scheduling is a little tough but not unexpectedly so. Everyone is really friendly. They are very interested in your previous work and your take on the creative process. They don't ask any particularly tricky questions, mostly they check to see that you know what you say you know on your resume, and that you have done some interesting work in the past.

Interview Questions

Describe a project you worked on in the past and what were the challenges (starting from the initial conception to full implementation).

Answer Question

Explain how a simple physics engine works.

Answer Question

Negotiation Details

I negotiated the salary a little. I just told them that I had competing offers that were twice the pay and a slight bump in the pay would help a lot in swaying my decision.

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

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Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Declined Offer

Interviewed Nov 2008 (took 6 weeks)

A friend called me to suggest I apply for the position, so I sent a resume and note to the appropriate HR person. She called me within a few days and scheduled a phone interview. The phone interview happened a few days later. She asked fairly common questions regarding my experience, management style, and why I was interested in the position. I then was asked to come in and "meet a few people". Foolishly, I had no idea it was a formal interview process, so was taken aback by the half day of group and individual interviews with supervisors, producers, department heads and production managers. I now know that the nice HR people will give you a lot of information ahead of time about what your meetings will entail should you be clever enough to inquire--so I highly recommend that you do so. Also, get the inside scoop from anyone you may know about the people who may interview you. I found that one person in particular who interviewed me doesn't like women--particularly smart, capable ones. Found myself toning it down big time with her to avoid seeming too confident. Had the impression that the opportunities for advancement would be extremely limited and slow for a person with prior experience, due to heavy emphasis on senority at Pixar (not necessarily a bad thing), and a well-deserved superiority complex. Many of the higher-level staff have only worked in film at Pixar, which explains this phenomenon.

Interview Questions

Why would you want to go from (the title you hold) to this position?

Answer Question

Reason for Declining

Particular position didn't fit my career goal.

Other Details

I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

View Comments (1)

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Mar 2009 in Emeryville, CA (took 3 weeks)

Was contacted by the recruiter, 2-3 rounds of phone interviews, all of which were group interviews (3-4 on conference mic). Half the questions were general software engineering, half were specific to computer graphics.