I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Zillow (San Francisco, CA) in Oct 2016
Interview
Great experience. Walked through several case studies, answered questions about my ambition, company goals, company direction, etc. Asked for ideas for future products and critiques about their product. I met with direct reports in addition to designers and engineers to learn about their overall work flow and process.
Terrible interview process. The whole process lasted for more than 2 months. The recruiter initially reached out to me asking for dates. After 3 weekly follow-ups, came back saying the hiring manager had put the position on hold (I understand that requirements can change) but isn't it courteous to let me know of it? On top of it, she comes back asking for another set of times and still the same behavior the second time around. At this point I give up on the company and just put it on my calendar to send out weekly follow-up emails anyway, to leave no stone unturned from my end. After the 2nd weekly follow-up she says she has me scheduled for a phone screen the very next day ( not sure how she assumed I was free at the exact time and date she proposed). At the proposed time, the recruiter does not call me. After waiting for 10 minutes, I write to her and she claims that she could not reach me on my phone (she obviously forgot) I try calling her up and she makes up another random excuse. She promises me over the call that the hiring manager is "really interested in me" and will reach out for some dates and times. No news from them for the next 4 weeks. So I assume the case is closed!
But NO! Here goes the second part of this saga. The same recruiter reaches out to me again asking for the same role with a different group. Exactly the same behavior the second time. But this time schedules a phone call after just 2 follow-ups. Iti s a different story altogether and she did not bother to call me at the scheduled phone screen time . No response to my email the entire evening either. I decide that enough is enough and I get hold of a different recruiter's email and write to her saying this is not acceptable. This recruiter comes back within hours, apologizing for not calling and immediately schedules another call the next day. This time she does call, BUT is entirely disinterested in talking to me. Asks me to talk about my background and doesnt even realize when I stopped talking. Moreover I get another apology for being so curt - the reason given : she is driving! Not sure why she scheduled that time in the first place. Asks me some times I am available for a call with the hiring manager. The call happens on a Friday evening. Just the regular tell me about yourself, behavioral questions - no surprises there. But I get an email over the weekend saying the position is filled!
This is the first impression they choose to put up in front of prospective employees. Imagine how they must be treating their actual employees!
Needless to say, this wasn't the only company I was recruiting for, so it was not really a waste of time - just a wastage of effort! Good riddance! I am so thankful that I ended up with a much better offer. But anyway, would do literally anything else over interview/work for Zillow!
And no this is not a case of sour grapes!
I feel terrible about the interview experience you had with us. It's unusual to see the amount of errors and mis-communications you had. What would be incredibly helpful for me so we can use this as a learning opportunity and to provide feedback to my team is if you would be willing to email me directly at annie@zillowgroup.com and give me some more context on who was working with you. I'd like to ensure this doesn't happen again. Thanks for taking the time to leave the review, it's helpful for us to learn and improve.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Zillow (Seattle, WA) in Oct 2016
Interview
HR recruiting called me and we chatted about the position. About a day later I received an email invitation for an interview. The recruiter then called me and prepped me with names and a schedule of who I would meet with. I arrived at the office and was treated immediately and given a snack bag with water. The interview lasted about 3.5 hours in total ; half hour interviews with 5 different team members . We topped off the interview with a tour of the offices.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The interview process was more of a conversation about the role and the needs from each team member. A few questions were typical but most were included in the conversation.