I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Bounce (Lisbon, Lisbon District) in Apr 2025
Interview
I started with an HR interview, followed by a staff engineer product-thinking and behavioral interview. Next was a take-home challenge, which I then presented to two engineers and an engineering manager. This was followed by an interview with the CTO, and finally, a product-sense interview with the product manager.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Hypothetically, if a manager asks you to investigate a performance bug reported by users, how would you approach solving it?
Highly Disorganized and Misleading Interview Experience
My experience interviewing for the Senior Product Engineer position at Bounce was incredibly disappointing and a complete waste of time. The process involved false promises, absurdly time-consuming stages, and a sheer lack of transparency. Despite completing a detailed take-home assessment, I was rejected without valid explanation or feedback. The initial promise of a fair assessment and efficient timeline turned out to be misleading, with disorganized interview logistics and unclear communication throughout.
Furthermore, the interview consisted of two rounds — one with HR and another with the hiring manager — where both indicated my candidacy was strong. However, it became apparent that Bounce's intentions were misleading. The process appeared easy to read through, but it was evident that Bounce operates in a highly disorganized manner, resembling a family-run business.
It's evident that Bounce primarily attracts candidates with the promise of competitive salaries, but fails to deliver on these expectations. It's a disheartening experience that I would not recommend to anyone considering applying.
Pros:
1. None worth mentioning based on my experience.
Cons:
1. False promises and misrepresentation of role and company culture.
2. Time-consuming process without clear communication.
3. Disorganized and chaotic interview logistics.
4. Lack of transparency and feedback after completing assessments.
5. Misleading intentions and failure to deliver on promises.
In conclusion, my interview experience at Bounce was highly disorganized and misleading, characterized by false promises and a lack of transparency. I would advise prospective candidates to think twice before applying, as the process does not align with professional standards and does not respect candidates' time and effort.
Get actionable career advice tailored to you by joining more bowls.
Want the inside scoop on your own company?
Check out your Company Bowl for anonymous work chats.
Application
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Bounce (Lisbon, Lisbon District) in Jun 2024
Interview
First, a screening call with the recruiter - surface-level discussion about your experience and technologies used at work. Second, an interview with the hiring manager - more about the projects your worked on and a values/culture-fit check.
For the tech challenge, it's either a take-home project or a panel Product Design interview. The interview task was to design a set of product features, going through the user flow, API endpoints, database models, and a very high-level system design. Then, some follow-up questions on how to optimise some things, or how to tackle a particular problem.
Everyone I met was very nice, same for the atmosphere in the office.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Design a set of product features, going through the user flow, API endpoints, database models, and a very high-level system design