I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Bending Spoons (Milan) in Jul 2020
Interview
The process was structured as follows:
- online application - I applied online and after a month or so I receive an email from HR saying that they liked my profile and I'll soon receive the first test (I received it two weeks after)
- first test (one technical and one based on my motivation and background, took me around 1:30h)
- second test - 5/6 logical exercises that took me overall around 2-3 hours, I think. This questions are totally unrelated to the role you're applying for. I personally found them a nice change.
- call with HR - friendly chat about my background and motivations, and opportunity for me to ask questions about the role and the company.
- third test - a UX exercise that takes around 6-8h to complete.
- technical interview with a line manager (I withdrew my application at this point because I received another offer)
I knew Bending Spoons before applying, and the process and people I spoke to only confirmed my first impression: it's a company full of talented, smart and nice people. The process was different from anything I ever did before, the tests were quite fun and recruiters are the nicest.
The only flaw I found in the process is how extremely long it took (around 3 months from when I first applied). I'm personally used to hiring processes that take up to 6 weeks - maybe the first test could have been avoided since it was covering many topics covered by later exercises and the call with HR?
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Can you give me an example of the last time you received a negative feedback?
Thanks for your review, we're happy to hear you had a nice experience with us. And yes, this time our recruiting process has really been too long! We totally agree we should have been way faster, and we'll do our best to improve here.
Best wishes,
Anna
Recruiting Team
Bending Spoons
Other User Experience Designer interview reviews for Bending Spoons
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Bending Spoons
Interview
The entire process is very precise and thorough, which is good. However, tests required more than 5hrs for completion, and that was just one batch. The interview after the tests was pointless. The interviewer had very bad English and kept asking to repeat my answers. She wasn’t paying attention on my speaking, instead she was focused on her own report. Like she was being interviewed. Knew it was bad in the first two min.
I applied online. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at Bending Spoons in Sept 2020
Interview
After applying, I was given a set of challenge problems to complete. These tested logic and general reasoning and asked behavioural questions. Throughout this process I was in touch with the recruiter who let me know my progress and what to expect at each stage via email.
After progressing to the next round, I was given more challenge problems, these being practical. The questions were appropriate to the role of a UX Designer, dealing with wireframes, wireflows, screen design and usability, without overlapping into UI design or user research or marketing. The tests were a little time-consuming, but the general reasoning ones were fun to complete and I appreciated the UX-focus of the practical ones.
After successfully completing the second test, I was interviewed by call with the recruiter and a colleague of hers. They asked me behavioural questions similar to those asked on the tests and answered my questions about the company culture.
After successfully completing the interview, I was given a design challenge. This was a full-day paid assignment to deliver a UX design. My submission was evaluated and I progressed to another interview.
I interviewed via conference call with a product manager and software engineer. They asked me behavioural questions similar to the previous interview, as well as some practical logic problems similar to the first tests. They were open about the role, its duties and expectations, and the company in general.
After this interview they asked for my references, which I provided. I was later told that they were not progressing with my candidacy. They seem to be looking for a high degree of expertise in this role.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Q: Design the minimum required test to evaluate the optimal placement order of three apps returned for a search query. (Optimal placement maximizes the number of app downloads)
So you get contacted by HR who writes you a mail full of emoji's to come of as cool company. So they send you link to some tests that you have to do over couple of days. Basically these. tests are just like personality tests and didn't had anything related to design problem solving but normal behaviour and challenges if you faced while working. Then you get a reply after two weeks stating you did not meet their tests. So basically they are hiring for ux designers based on a random set of questions which has nothing to do with design.
