My experience interviewing with Lyft was challenging, to say the least. While I truly believe that this company is populated with smart, bright, and passionate individuals; my time was marked with significant delays, odd interactions, and strange communication practices. First, my interview process was incredibly lengthy (3 months!) and included three on sites, endless (maybe 5-6) phone interviews, and an outing with the prospective team I'd be working with. I was asked over and over whether I was available to start immediately and after assuring the recruiter I was, more time was requested. I truly felt they strung me along for the majority of the process. During my time interviewing, the timeline of next steps or hearing back from the decision-makers were consistently pushed back. This would have been less of an issue if it weren't for some of my interactions with the team I was applying to be a part of. The social aspect of this team was interesting. It was made clear to me from the beginning that this team spends time together outside of work and on a frequent basis. This seemed lovely, except for when the team director told me that they want someone who enjoys the team socially and that this position certainly wasn't 8-5. It felt odd to be assuring someone I was committing to be a social team member. They told me over and over they enjoy "working hard and playing hard" and seem to be each others friends and support system. It didn't feel like they had great boundaries within their work enviornment. This was most prominently displayed to me when I was invited to a team offsite at a local bar. When I didn't order alcohol (a religious choice), I felt it was met with awkwardness and judgement. This mostly emanated from the team director and deputy. Lyft assured me several times that they value diversity of thought, but I didn't get that sense at the bar by any means. This group bonds via alcohol and, for me, anyone not choosing to imbibe isn't necessarily welcome. I strongly feel that this interaction affected their hiring decision. The team lead often reiterated to me that the quality they most-prized in a candidate was empathy, but I found that to be in short supply at this team offsite they way they were discussing their colleagues. A 'mean girls' attitude was definitely on display as they gossiped about their coworkers. Overall, I found the people (except the team director) to be kind and generous individuals. However, not individuals who were willing to accept someone in a slightly different mold than they were. Beyond disappointing.

The interview process at Lyft was superb. My recruiter contacted me the day after I submitted my application online. In the initial conversation, she asked for salary requirements, any other positions I was interviewing for, and any deadlines she might need to meet on her end. She also described in detail how the interview process would go from that point forward. The next day her assistant had set up a phone interview with the Deputy Director of the department I was interviewing with. After that interview, the recruiter's assistant then set up 3 video interviews with other members of the team I was interviewing with for the following day. After these interviews I received an email asking me to come out to Lyft's headquarters for onsite interviews. I flew to San Francisco the following week and interviewed with the rest of the team members. Several days later my recruiters assistant emailed to set up an interview with the VP of my department. I interviewed with him the following Wednesday and received an offer the next day. The recruiters are incredibly responsive and attentive.