I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Pinterest (San Francisco, CA) in Aug 2014
Interview
Painless process. The recruiter was available and helpful throughout.
The interview questions ranged from hands-on coding, to algorithms, to architecture, to UI. Difficulty was above average, similar to a Google or Apple on-site. Stay focused, don't panic, explain your thought process as you go, and make sure your grey matter is well rested beforehand. The questions aren't insanely difficult, but they have pitfalls and traps, and getting a correct answer isn't the only thing that matters.
All the interviewers were super nice and went out of the way to answer questions I had about the company. Make sure you have thoughtful Pinterest-related questions to ask and new ideas to share. They are getting a read on your preparation, thought process, and priorities when doing the reverse interview.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Enumerate all NxN grids that can be composed of valid English words. Architect a chess program. And an amusing question about finding "happy" numbers.
1st round technical phone screening with in 1 hour.
One follow up question was asked.
The problem was not too hard, but it requires you finish really fast without bugs.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Leetcode 1564. Put Boxes Into the Warehouse I.
Follow up: what is maximum total box sizes.
Recruiter call, tech round, onsite and rejection call. They sent me an email about a week after the last onsite and asked me to schedule a call on the same day. I scheduled a call to listen 30 second long rejection notice. A half of interview rounds were horrible. Interviewers were not prepared and arrogant.
Good experience not the best outcome. Was 1000% sure I completed all coding and sys design but was told didn't get enough signal for the competency round. Overall very organized but not very satisfied with the response.