Interview Experience: Long, Disorganized, and Ultimately a Waste of Time
I interviewed for a role at Contentful and the process dragged on for a little over two months, involving six different people in total. It started with recruiter, HR, then the hiring manager, then went silent for three weeks. When they finally resurfaced, they asked me to complete the process with three additional interviews, which took another three weeks partly because one interviewer was out sick and had to be swapped for a director.
Five out of the six people I spoke with told me directly that I'd be a great fit for the team. The final conversation with the other director seemed to go well too, but I never got clear signals either way. After all that, I received a generic rejection email saying they went with someone else.
Two months, six interviews, and consistent positive feedback along the way only to end in a form rejection is a frustrating amount of time to invest for that outcome. The lack of communication during the three-week silence and the disorganization around rescheduling made the whole thing feel like it wasn't being taken seriously on their end. I wouldn't go through this process again.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a process you built from scratch and provide the outcome from it.
I applied online. I interviewed at Contentful (London, England) in May 2026
Interview
The interview process left me with concerns about how candidates are evaluated and prepared for the technical assessment.
The initial stages provided limited insight into the role and expectations, making it difficult to determine whether the position was a good fit. The technical interview itself felt poorly structured, with insufficient guidance on the tools, environment, and knowledge areas that would be assessed.
Part of the assessment involved troubleshooting and testing within the product using third-party tools. However, there was little information provided in advance about browser requirements, expected configurations, or limitations that could affect the exercise. This created uncertainty about whether issues encountered were related to the product, the assessment environment, or the browser being used.
The interview also appeared to assume knowledge in areas that had not been discussed earlier in the process and were not highlighted as key requirements beforehand. As a result, the assessment felt more like a test of unstated expectations than an evaluation of relevant skills and experience.
Overall, I believe the process would benefit from clearer communication, better preparation guidance, and a more structured technical assessment. While I appreciate the opportunity to interview, the experience ultimately led me to conclude that the role was not the right fit for me.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What's the default for how content is displayed in Contentful.
I applied online. I interviewed at Contentful (Denver, CO) in May 2026
Interview
There were four rounds: a screening with the recruiter, a hiring manager interview, back to back interview with separate team members, then a final presentation. The process was very efficient and the recruiter was extremely responsive throughout!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Asked about how you would prioritize your book of business as a CSM