The 10 Toughest Tech Companies for Job Interviews

Toughest Tech Companies for Job Interviews

1-ThoughtWorks (#2 on Glassdoor's top 25 list)ThoughtWorks (#2 on Glassdoor’s top 25 list)

A candidate went through seven interviews. The “exhausting” process was “as much about whether you want to work there, as whether they want you.”

2-Google (#8)Google (#8)

Hardest stage was “a sales mock-up pitch via the phone. … You do need to understand the industry and local market, and be up-to-date with related technologies.”

3-Hubspot (#10)Hubspot (#10)

Candidates are asked to take a lengthy test with six parts to gauge personality, vocabulary, situational analysis, analogies, math ability and word-problem skills.

4-Avaya (#15)Avaya (#15)

One contender participated in an on-site interview day that lasted six hours, with eight different staffers.

5-Microsoft (#16)Microsoft (#16)

Thorough but professional, with one candidate citing a “good balance of discussion [about] my experience, skills and my current and future interests.”

6-Citrix Systems (#19)Citrix Systems (#19)

Interviewees are grilled on not only tech knowledge but business savvy. “I targeted both my tactical and strategic examples to demonstrate my range,” one candidate says.

7-NVIDIA (#20)NVIDIA (#20)

Even if you get shortlisted for an on-site interview, don’t expect a full-time offer without an internal reference.

8-Informatica (#21)Informatica (#21)

“Most of the interview questions are related to algorithms, problem solving and critical thinking. Interviewers are very friendly.… They focus less on coding and more on general design.”

9-Facebook (#22)Facebook (#22)

“I told [the interviewer] about my future plans for Facebook. She said it wasn’t much different from what they have now.”

10-Guidewire (#23)Guidewire (#23)

Candidates should be prepared to dive deeply into obscure areas of Java. The experience “definitely developed my tech-interview skills.”

Dennis McCafferty
Dennis McCafferty
Dennis McCafferty is a contributor to CIO Insight. He covers topics such as IT leadership, IT strategy, collaboration, and IT for businesses.

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