I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Zillow (Seattle, WA) in Jun 2016
Interview
Was contacted by a recruiter, had a chat with him and then scheduled a phone interview followed by a full onsite loop. Overall the interviews were pretty straight forward and there was nothing surprising in terms of the questions asked. I admit that the interviewers did not project any enthusiasm about the company and it felt to me like a very "gray" workplace. Zillow performs a one-hour session for each interview making it one of the longest interview loops I've been to. After a couple of days received a rejection. I tried to understand why, but was told that it's against their policy to share feedback. Based on other reviews I've seen here, it seems to me that Zillow fancies bringing candidates to a full onsite just to waste their time. This was a complete time waste and I gained nothing from this day. Wish I hadn't gone at all.
Thank you for your feedback. This review has prompted some good conversations on our end with regards to how we provide feedback to our candidates. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you would like to discuss further. annie@zillow.com
Other Senior Software Development Engineer interview reviews for Zillow
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Zillow
Interview
- Informational call with recruiter
- Technical phone screen with hiring manager (60 min)
- Onsite interview: 5 technical interviews + (non-scored) lunch interview
Most of the interviews were with potential teammates or adjacent teams. Each interview was pretty well-structured: "I'm going to start by X, then Y, then Z, then leave time for your questions at the end." Each interview included a "culture fit" question as well; together, these mean that the coding portion of the hour was smaller than at some other companies.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Every technical interview included a "culture fit" question. Ex: What was a time you made an unpopular decision?
Never heard results or feedback. I will assume they are too busy solving the world's critical virtual home tour problems to show common courtesy. Interviewer was late. Interviewer made sure to let me know three times that their title was Director and the position was in the group he "owned". Tech question was from the '90's, probably as long as he has been asking it. Too busy to answer my questions because his next meeting was "far away". Ballmer-era spinout with antiquated engineering. Bullet dodged.
I'm very sorry to hear this was your experience with us. Could you please email me more specific information at annie@zillowgroup.com so that we can look into this further ? - Annie Rihn
1. Introductions
2. Interviewer will offer two timed brain teasers and give the interviewee a couple minutes to offer a solution. If the interviewer agrees with your solution then interviewee will have a few minutes to then code the agreed solution. Interviewee must work fast given the limited amount of time.
3. Final questions
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Interviewer will offer two brain teasers that interviewee must code and solve
Thank you for sharing your interview feedback with us. If you have additional insight around your negative experience, please feel free to reach out to me at annie@zillowgroup.com
Bowls
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.