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For Candidates

How We Interview

Five stages, each looking for something specific. Here is what to expect, what we are looking for, and how to prepare, so you can show us your best work.

The Loop

Five Stages

Each stage builds on the last, and we never ask you the same question twice. Plan for three to four hours of live conversations in total, plus the take-home. We share the details of each stage before you reach it.

  1. 1. Recruiter screen

    30 minutes

    A 30-minute call with a recruiter to confirm the basics: your timing and notice period, where you are based and your working-hours overlap, whether you need sponsorship, your compensation expectations, and that your experience covers the role's must-haves.

    How to prepare: Be upfront about start dates and any deadlines from other processes. If there is something in the job description you have not done yet, say so; it is better for both of us to know early.

  2. 2. Hiring manager screen

    45 minutes

    A 45-minute conversation with your future manager about how you work: how you collaborate and handle disagreement, what you are genuinely curious about, how you learn things nobody has written down yet, and how quickly you turn an idea into something running.

    How to prepare: Bring specific examples: what happened, what you did, and what came of it. Talk about your own part, including what went wrong and what you would change.

  3. 3. System design

    60 to 90 minutes

    A 60 to 90 minute session to design a system close to what the role would actually build, under real constraints such as scale, cost and failure, and talk through the trade-offs you make.

    How to prepare: Ask clarifying questions, state your assumptions, and explain why you chose one option over another. There is no single right answer; we want to see how you reason.

  4. 4. Presentation

    60 to 90 minutes

    A 60 to 90 minute session where you present a piece of your own work, or a brief we give you, to a few people who will ask questions and push back.

    How to prepare: Pick something you know deeply. Expect questions you have not rehearsed, and be ready to say what you would do differently next time.

  5. 5. Take-home task

    Submit within 48 hours

    A bounded piece of real work, done on your own time and in your own environment, then reviewed together with you afterwards. You have 48 hours from receiving it to submit, and it should take no more than 4 to 6 hours of work.

    How to prepare: Keep it within the scope and the 4 to 6 hours; we are not looking for extra polish. Explain your choices, including the shortcuts you took on purpose, so the review can be a conversation.

What We Look For

How You Work

Beyond skills for the role, every conversation looks for four things. Specific stories show them far better than general claims.

Ownership and collaboration

You disagree in the open and with evidence, commit once a decision is made, and name your own part when something fails.

Curiosity

There is something in this field you have gone deep on that nobody asked you to, and you have opinions you can defend.

Learning on your own

You have a method for learning fast, such as reading the source, building a small thing and measuring it, and you can name a belief you have changed.

Speed with judgment

You ship in small slices, know which corners are safe to cut and which are not, and raise a slip early.

Our Side

What You Can Expect

  • ✦One set of logistics questions. We write down the basics at the recruiter screen, so no later stage asks them again.
  • ✦Independent judgment. Each interviewer scores you on what you showed them, before reading anyone else's notes.
  • ✦Clear next steps. If something needs clarifying, we follow up with you rather than guessing.
  • ✦Your information stays private. Interview notes live in our hiring system and nowhere else.

Ready to Apply?

See the roles we are hiring for now, or send a general application. Questions about the process are welcome too.

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