Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Panic Button with 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 100% positive. To compare, the company-average is 100% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
The interview process at Panic Button consisted of three parts: a phone screen, a technical screen, and an onsite interview lasting about 5 to 6 hours.
• The initial phone screen was a company info — informative and straightforward.
• The technical screen was clear-cut. If you have a solid understanding of computer science fundamentals, you'll do well.
• The onsite interview started with basic questioning, but technical competency was primarily assessed with whiteboarding.
For those preparing for an interview here, I highly recommend practicing whiteboarding with the following tips:
1. Practice whiteboarding simple problems (e.g., string manipulation) while explaining your process out loud. Silent contemplation might be misconstrued as confusion.
2. Work with a friend who can interrupt you with questions. This will help you stay focused even if questioned mid-process.
3. Write clean, efficient code from the start. Avoid "get the job done" code, as inefficiencies will be scrutinized.
4. Keep your solutions simple and efficient. If you're used to thinking about problems in a larger context, you might start designing a bigger system out of habit. This can be unnecessary and might be misconstrued as confusion or an inability to set up a simple problem.
Everyone there was nice and easy to talk to. Whiteboarding can be a difficult assessment, even for people who code every day. Ultimately, if you prepare well and practice, you can excel in this interview process.
Good luck!