I was asked to create an app as an interview request. I created the app in Angular 5, meeting all requirements, but used a single image instead of running a reverse proxy to access their placeholders. The owner claimed I [didn't understand the URL syntax]. I pushed a branch using their random images and never heard back.
The API server was bad. The owner told me beforehand it was "meant to simulate mobile conditions", but the thing threw 401s on authenticated requests, 404s on valid routes, ran basic auth over HTTP, etc... not sure what to think about this place.
Between the tests, app, and interview I lost over a day. If not for the disconnect with technology it seemed like great place to work.
After an initial phone screen, was asked to build a basic application against an API they provided. The API was designed to be inconsistent and throw different sorts of errors (as mentioned by other interviewers), with the aim being to build a UI that was durable against unexpected responses that could result from upstream issues.
I thought the test was a breath of fresh air from the typical coding assessments I've had in other interviews, which typically either focus on abstract topics unrelated to the core job requirements or else are too surface level to accurately assess a candidate's skill. The particular focus on how to make a UI durable when APIs provide inconsistent or invalid responses was a practical thing to test when the development environment is as API-centered as it is now, and showed me that the company is focused on the end-user experience.
After I'd submitted my response, I had a follow-up call with one of the teams engineers to review my submission. We discussed the solution I'd implemented and pair-programmed some changes. After that call I had an on-site during a sprint kickoff, and was offered the position shortly after. From when I submitted the assessment to my first day the process took roughly 3-4 weeks.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Build a list/detail view application against an inconsistent API