Standard, lengthy Product Manager interview process that I’ve experienced at other top tech companies - first a recruiter screen, then the hiring manager interview, and finally the virtual on-site that consisted of 5 one-hour long sessions with various team members on different topics(leadership values, product execution, working with engineering, etc.) I was referred by a current employee who I’ve worked with in the past and they passed along positive feedback after each step. The recruiter also mentioned that the hiring manager was routing for me so I was a little surprised when I received a rejection email out of the blue two days after the final virtual on-site interview. When I asked for feedback, I was told the main area of opportunity was around my leadership experience and they decided to hire the candidate with more direct management experience over domain expertise. Overall, it was a positive experience when it came down to the actual process. It was extremely time consuming, especially since I was going through the same exact process with two other companies at the time, but I still feel like it would have been worth it if I landed the role.

The process kicked off in June 2022 with a recruiter screen, followed by a 1-hr call with the HM. I was then told that they would schedule me for their final round interview. It took until August to finally get me scheduled, after I told them I was expecting another offer from a different company. I was really interested in working at Spotify at the time, so I actually turned down the other offer that was set to expire. After the final round, I felt really positive. I ended all of the other interviews at other companies that I was in the pipeline for. Finally in Mid-September I was told that they went with another candidate. During this time, I had turned down 1 other offer, and withdrew from 5 other interview processes, all because I felt really positive of my interviewing experience at Spotify.