The hiring process at CommonLit takes an average of 23 days when considering 16 user submitted interviews across all job titles. To compare, the average duration of hiring at similar companies like BlackRock, Inc. is 14 days, Fabricated Software, Inc. is 2 days, and Apple Inc. is 21 days. Candidates applying for Special Projects Associate had the quickest hiring process (on average 1 day), whereas Curriculum Writer roles had the slowest hiring process (on average 61 days).
No TA screen; first interview is directly with the CPO (hiring manager) — signals a lack of structure. Basic and boring questions during the interview. BELOW AVERAGE salary for a senior level role — guilting you to accept a lower salary because it's a non-profit (with no other ways that they can make up for it). CPO has 7 people who already report to him — signals again a lack of structure. Amazon-like in their culture and their thinking.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
(1) Why Common Lit? (2) Share a proud project (3) Are you drinking the “vibe coding” kool-aid?
I applied through other source. I interviewed at CommonLit (Washington, DC) in Jun 2025
Interview
Multiple steps to interview process, including a task to highlight your work. The interviewers had good strong questions and I do feel like they were fair and thoughtful in their hiring process.
Interview was very transparent, friendly, and professional. The internal recruiter was very clear about the job and the process. I had a good experience, despite not moving onto the next round. Communication was clear and timely.