Sony Online Entertainment Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed Dec 2007 (took 2 weeks)

I received a phone call from HR at the headquarters. The very first phone call with the HR person also turned out to be my first interview, as it was a phone interview. This was fine, since I was mentally ready anyways, but they gave no indication anywhere that the first call would be the first interview. I passed the "test" and received another call a week or so later. This was to ask a few more questions, and after answering these questions there was a brief pause (I assume she was checking against the acceptable answers), she offered to set up an in-studio interview.

I arrived at the interview and met with the manager and two other members of the team I'd be working with directly. This portion of the interview was pretty casual and never really focused on the actual job. They were just "getting to know me" I guess. After this, I met with the studio head, the marketing person, and another individual. This was more formal and more like a "real" interview. The expected questions were asked here. After this I was given a tour of the studio...During this tour I was shown what would be "my office." It should be noted here, that this was a blatant lie. The person showed me an empty office and said it'd be mine, when I showed up for work day one, I was put in a small room with two other people and given a desk in a corner.

After this round, I was sent home and told I'd be sent a "writing" test. I received the writing test and had 24 hours to complete it. This was pretty basic: they just wanted examples of the kinds of things and ideas you'd come up with while on the job. They give scenarios and such and you work with them, etc. No big deal. My problem here, however, stemmed from the managers response to my submission. I went to graduate school at a prestigious private university...yet when I spoke to my manager on the phone after they offered me the job, she told me she had some problems with some of the things I wrote and the mechanics of my writing. You have to understand that only one other person working on the same team as me actually graduated from college! Here I am with my Master's and this person is telling me I almost didn't make it because of my writing! How ludicrous is that?! What's even more insane about this process is that, since then, I've been made head editor of our department. This should have been a warning to me from the get go, that no matter how skilled or good you are, it doesn't matter; if the people here don't like you, you're screwed.

Once I passed the writing exam, I got offered the final interview. The director of our department came in and interviewed me. The entire team went to lunch with him; on our way to lunch, a person on the team took me aside and actually said to me: "I just want to warn you, he will pick on you and make fun of you. He's just testing you, that's what he does." She, of course, was spot on. He spent the lunch picking at me, trying to get under my skin. When I asked about an interest of his (which I discovered through my research for my interview) he accusingly asked me if I had been looking up his private stuff on the Internet. This should have been another clue: Any intelligent person going in for an interview is going to research the people he's interviewing with, as much as possible. Also, this same guy, the director of this department for all of Sony Online, actually checked his Blackberry during his one on one interview with me. Multiple times. He asked me a question and then checked his Blackberry. He asked me another question and then pull his Blackberry completely out, put it on the table and played with it while we sat there. For the entire duration of the interview.

Once this interview was over (with the early morning portion, lunch, and the afternoon portion, the interview lasted about 5 hours), I was sent home and told I'd be called. About a week and a half went by, I was called and offered the job. I was given two weeks to move and start, or I wouldn't be offered the position. This should have been another sign...

Pay attention to how the people you are interviewing with act, while you are with them. If they're rude, standoffish, or obviously over-the-top fake nice, that's how they are going to be when you work here.

The interviews were difficult due to their length and pressure. Despite what I felt like were strong performances in all aspects of the interview, the feedback I received made it seem I did not do well. Yet, I received the offer for the job. So, who knows. As long as you are not completely unprepared you'll do fine. The people they've got working here makes me wonder if there really is any sort of vetting process during the interviews or if they just accept anyone who applies.