1.Resume reviewing 2.HR Phone Screening for around 30min (background, resume review, behavior Qs) 3.Technical interview for around 45-60min (SQL or Python programming, product case question) 4. Last one is Onsite interviews, more detailed questions and behavior Qs.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Meta (Schaumburg, IL) in Sep 2023
Interview
Very smooth and streamlined. You are evaluated on attributes like programming skills (you choose a programming language to be tested on), data science math (probabilities and statistics), data science analysis (how you approach a problem, how you come up with hypotheses to test, how you test the hypotheses, etc.) and behavioral (how you handle stress, uncertainty, changes in requirements, etc.). No waiting around for specific people to become available and going through interviews one by one with long gaps in between. All 4 or my interviews took place on the same day just like in the old days when you would have been invited to an office, evaluated by a bunch of people, and sent home at the end of it. The decision came about a week after the interviews. The entire process was less than a month long.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
SQL: How to join tables with common fields, how to calculate sums and averages, etc. Quite basic, nothing advanced such as window functions or DDL. Data Science math: Calculate expected values, calculate probabilities of simultaneous occurrence of independent events, etc. Pretty basic, nothing advanced like weird distributions or hard to remember facts. Data Science Analysis: Come up with plausible metrics to evaluate a recommendation system. How would you test the recommendation system for bias? What hypotheses can you come up with for detecting bias, and how would you test them? How do you test whether a new system is a net positive or it is cannibalizing an existing system. Behavioral: Tell me about some work you are proud of. How would you handle ambiguity - how do you make recommendations in the face of ambiguity? What do you like about work, what do you dislike?
A day of multiple interviews with various technical staff and managers. Interviews were a mixture of technical and behavioural. Felt very conversational and relaxed. Never felt pressured, each person was very open and encouraging
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Give an example of how you used your skill to gain insight to a difficult problem.