I thought I’d share my recent experience interviewing with a company that prides itself on innovation,teamwork,meritocracy etc. I had 3 rounds of interviews.

The first was a “technical” interview, where I was given the following information: ” As a software head of a large car manufacturer you got a good deal on GPS receivers. These are a basic model with limited interface, just a few buttons and a digital display. How will you use these?” This was a great start to a discussion on what applications can be designed, what information can be obtained, and how that information can be used to the company’s advantage. We ended with designing an application that collects driver data on driving patterns and other such statistics. This was meant to test lateral thinking - what can I do with the limited info I have.

The second was a general discussion on one of three topics that I could choose from. This was not a debate but I was asked to choose one side of the topic and make well thought out arguments that support my stand. The topics were wide ranging from health care issues to privacy concerns etc. This was to test communication skills as well the ability to lead design discussions.

The last round was just a general chat while reviewing my resume and asking the usual - why do you want to move etc. We ended with a feedback round where I was asked what I thought of the process, what I thought each round was testing and how I rated my own performance. Each round was recorded with a voice recorder - I was told this was used in case there was a discrepancy between the opinions of the interviewers.

This was the first time I have interviewed with a company that has such an unique interview porcess. I thought it would be great to share this with others

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