Called for screening but it felt completely like the interviewer was just trying to find reasons to reject me making assumptions about my resume which I clarified. It seemed like she made up her mind by the end of the interview even though it should have just been a simple screening which I had the qualifications to pass quite easily.
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at DataLab USA (Silver Spring, MD) in Mar 2022
Interview
I got a phone interview first
Then a test for SQL
After the test, I got a virtual interview with their VP
In the end, I am going to have an in-person interview tomorrow
I applied through college or university. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at DataLab USA (Germantown, MD) in Sep 2018
Interview
Had an on-campus interview at my university. They were running late (I was seen 20min late), gave me a paper application to fill out which asked basic info like citizen status, gpa, and then an open ended written response about myself. Interview went really well- they asked me about my projects. I told them I haven't taken a databases course, only used a little in courses and self-taught a bit. They said that was fine and that they also didn't know SQL when they started.
About a week later, I got an email and phone call to schedule an on-site interview. They only had a couple openings so I saw them in a day. They requested my transcripts via email beforehand. Met with HR rep who was nice but a little disorganized. She asked a couple basic behavioral questions, but clearly not paying attention. She asked what my favorite class was, and continued reading my transcript. She interrupted me to ask what the difference is with course 4XX that I'm currently in (unrelated to my favorite). I told her what that class is about. But she looked really dissatisfied with my answer. She then asked what the 'DW' means for that course (it means Drop Waitlist, that course was listed under courses I've added/dropped for the current semester). I said I'm not sure, but I'm still in the class, the add date shows the section was added after the 'DW' date. But she was so suspicious of me regardless, it was so uncomfortable. We spoke for 10-15 minutes total. Then she gave me a paper exam that she said was for senior SQL developers. I said that I haven't taken a databases course or anything and she said that's fine. It was entirely open-ended, and I definitely failed. They left me alone in the room for about 40 minutes. She said the manager I'd normally meet 'is in a meeting' so then we said our goodbyes.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about some of your projects
Where do you see yourself in 5 years
Have you taken a databases course
What's your favorite class
SQL exam had things about accessing data from two tables and making a new table from it, joining various tables, reading input from a file into a table, etc.