I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Twilio in Nov 2020
Interview
Awesome experience with an interview conducted remotely.
The overall process took around two weeks and it was amazingly smooth prepared and conducted.
First, I've had a short call (~30 minutes) with a technical sourcer with an explanation regarding what position the company is hiring and what they expect from a Staff Software Engineer.
As a precourse I'got an easy-to-medium Hackerrank test with a small (~ leetcode easy) coding task, a SQL query task and a couple of open questions regarding system design.
The main part consisted of three technical sessions spread across three consecutive days with two back-to-back sessions a day (~45 to 60 minutes each).
There were:
- previous experience discussion (previous projects, tech stacks, general CS topics and ideas were covered)
- a system design session (an open question on how to design a service to monitor messaging routing related to the company's business)
- a coding challenge (an easy leetcode task with two follow ups)
- an agile / inner team collaboration session (how familiar I was with scrum process, which artefacts and how I used follow)
- a Twilio Magic session focused on how good would I fit into the team should I get there
I didn't get the offer but the most exciting part was afterwards: we had another session with an HR where I got an honest and transparent feedback regarding the whole process and the gaps I'd rather to fill in in case of our (potential) future collaboration.
Overall, that was an amazing experience extremely well organised and implemented by the hiring team and, of course, with a "post-mortem" feedback session as a cherry on top of it.
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Twilio (Bogotá, Bogota) in Apr 2024
Interview
Disappointing Interview Experience with Poor Communication and Unprofessional Conduct.
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5)
Pros: The interview process was thorough, including multiple rounds that tested various skills, such as algorithmic problem-solving and system design. This provided a clear view of the company's expectations and the technical proficiency required.
Cons: The overall experience was marred by several negatives. Particularly, one of the interviewers during the system design round displayed highly unprofessional behavior and inadequate communication skills. His poor command of English and apparent disinterest in the responses given were significant deterrents. His attitude suggested a lack of genuine engagement with the interview process, focusing more on what he wanted to hear rather than the solutions presented. Such an interaction not only diminished the professionalism expected in a recruitment setting but also discouraged any desire to be part of the team.
Advice to Management: It is crucial to ensure that all interviewers are not only technically proficient but also capable of maintaining a professional demeanor. Interviewers should be trained to engage constructively with candidates, fostering an environment that is welcoming and respects the efforts of all participants. This is especially important as they represent the company's culture and values to potential new hires.
I applied online. I interviewed at Twilio (Seattle, WA) in Oct 2022
Interview
Very disappointed with pair programming result. I was told by recruiter that I didn't get the solutions to work, but it was totally incorrect statement. Where is the integrity here?
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I signed NDA so I won't share the detail. Before pair programming, I shared my proposal with the interviewer. He agreed and said go ahead to do that. But apparently he wasn't comfortable with my approach later on. I got the solution to work, but I was told that my solution is not working. Nothing I can do to argue other than telling the recruiter that was incorrect statement. I understand it's hard to stay being objective in the interview process.
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Twilio (San Francisco, CA) in Oct 2022
Interview
The interview process was tough, but fair. It consisted of a LC medium take-home problem followed by 4 rounds of interviews including 2 behavioral and 2 technical (systems design and coding). The systems design was a tough one, but one that was fair given the requirements of the role. The coding is a 2 hour round and gives you a great chance to demonstrate how you work with a team, but this particular team didn’t provide or allow template projects which meant a lot of boilerplate that took away from the substance of the problem. My one suggestion would be an improvement on this. I really liked the bar raiser and I especially like that the bar raisers interview for cultural fit rather than how it’s done at Amazon. In the end the team ended up filling their staff level requirements. I went into team matching and quickly matched to an amazing team that was actually better aligned with my professional goals and interests.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Male sure you know popular and common architectures relevant to your role. Know common data structures and algorithms. Be prepared for LC medium or hard problems especially on the Twilio side. Know how to write clean and maintainable code that follows commonly accepted principles and best practices.
