I applied online. I interviewed at Spotify (Stockholm, Stockholm)
Interview
There was a fairly long series of phone calls and Skype interviews. Since I'm in the US and they're in Stockholm, they were all scheduled for the mornings - often 8am. I tried to arrange some for midnight since I'm a night person and am less sharp at 8am. The interview style varied dramatically depending on the interviewer. Some were about getting to know you and your interests. Some asked to do on the spot analysis of how to redesign a particular Spotify feature.
After about six mornings of waking up early to answer interview questions I was invited to come to Stockholm for an in-person interview.
I was told that while I may think I had spent a lot of time talking to them, that someone else had done 27 hours of Skype talks and in-person interviews before receiving an offer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I generally use Spotify on the iPhone and iPad. Over Skype, one interviewer insisted that I instead give my design suggestions about Spotify on the PC, which I found difficult at 8am - not being a great morning person.
In person, there is a design test where you meet with two designers and think of a non-Spotify product, that you all three use. You then brainstorm together about problems and possible solutions for the product. Then you're given 1 hour alone to draw solutions on paper, followed by 30 minutes to present your solution and answer questions. This was a pretty good interview task because it goes deeper than a single question, examines your real work, and deals with a non-Spotify product so everyone is on equal footing in assessing the answer. The only problem is that it forces you to design with no user observation or data, which hopefully wouldn't be a real-world practice.
I applied online. I interviewed at Spotify (Atlanta, GA) in Aug 2022
Interview
It was very thorough, but the people were very personable. Asked plenty of questions but also allowed for time for me to ask questions. Some of the questions were a little tricky
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Looking at our brand what would you change/implement?
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Spotify (London, England) in Sep 2021
Interview
I had a really enjoyable interview process with a team of lovely people. They were friendly, professional, and made me feel comfortable. They asked the usual questions that I had prepared for, which made the experience even smoother. The overall atmosphere was welcoming, and I appreciated the opportunity to showcase my skills.
I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Spotify (Stockholm, Stockholm) in Feb 2014
Interview
First round was a telephone interview with my manager. Second round was a portfolio review with two designers. Third and final round was almost a full day. I met with everyone in management positions at my department, and finished of with a design exercise for two designers and a developer. I got to pick a well known product (WhatsApp) and the redesign it to make it more social.
Design applicants have rated the interview process at Spotify with 3.7 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 100% positive. To compare, the company-average is 47.4% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Common stages of the interview process at Spotify as a Design according to 3 Glassdoor interviews include:
Group panel interview: 25%
Phone interview: 25%
One on one interview: 25%
Background check: 13%
Presentation: 13%
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