Horrible hiring process. Hope you don't get a bad roll of the dice! - Senior Software Engineer CarGurus Employee Review

1.0
Aug 8, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free lunch, high salaries. Technically unlimited PTO but they track it to make you feel guilty about taking it.

Cons

In retrospect, there were a ton of red flags in the hiring process. First, the interviewers were completely disorganized. I don't think any of them had actually looked at my resume, and they certainly didn't coordinate at all. Two of them asked me basically the same question, and one was literally the same question that I had done in the phone screen. Once you're hired, basically you go into a queue and when you start you're put on whatever team has "dibs" on the next people. There's no attempt to match people to their skills or interests. I got on a team that I had no experience for, and they were unwilling to accept a ramp up time, so I was in trouble from day 1 for not being able to contribute fast enough. I tried to get switched to another team and there was no way to do that. If you're on a backend team, you're expected to be available 24/7. The site breaks all the time, so you're literally always working. No mercy if you have any kind of social life outside of work.

avatar
CarGurus Response
6y
I appreciate your honest feedback. We are constantly taking feedback such as yours and looking for ways of improving our hiring process. Looks like you caught us on a bad day! When we hire, we attempt to match you up with the team that best suits your skills. If you qualify for multiple teams, we try to match you up with a team that has the greatest need that also matches your interests. Again, this is likely a breakdown in our hiring process and we will look into improvements on that front. Your experience regarding inability to move between teams or the after-hours work commitment don't line up with our culture. I would like to further understand where the disconnect is. Please feel free to reach out to me to discuss further. - Kyle

Explore other reviews about CarGurus

5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Awesome benefits and perks. Great office environment and makes you want to come to the office. Compensation plan is solid with high income opportunity.

Cons

This opportunity requires a strong commitment. Standard work hours do not always apply based on the customer base

2.0
May 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice office environment with free food and drinks available. The gym and company perks are a nice bonus. There are also some genuinely good people on the team who make the workplace more enjoyable.

Cons

Management can feel overly political, and some managers appear to give more attention and opportunities to favorites rather than treating employees consistently. While the company talks about supporting mental health, the day-to-day culture does not always reflect that message. There is also growing uncertainty about long-term job stability as AI becomes more integrated into the work.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All