The recruiter provided an immense amount of detail in our first call about the role, he understood the hiring manager's needs, the challenges of the team, and even delved into technical details. I got a lot of information early that all proved accurate in later meetings with the team. It's apparent that the recruiter took the time to really understand the hiring needs behind this role. I had experiences at other companies where the recruiter provided only minimal additional detail beyond the job listing, and that makes the whole process feel much more like a game of telephone.
After meeting with the recruiter, I had a 1:1 with the hiring manager who asked questions about approach to management and experience with various applicable technologies. This interview was a social, getting-to-know you sort. No "trick" questions, just getting a feel for management philosophy and experience. It's clear New Relic takes hiring seriously, as this meeting was not rushed or disorganized in any way, and I was given plenty of time to ask questions about the role and the interview process. When we ran out of time, the hiring manager offered to meet me onsite to continue the conversation.
Last was a full day of on-site interviews with members of multiple teams at various levels. All the interviewers were friendly, smart, and supportive and showed a genuine appreciation for their working environment. The company's commitment to work life balance was apparent in every question I asked.
Interview questions did get quite technical (no coding challenges, but there were a few whiteboard strategy/architecture/design-oriented questions).