The process started with a recruiter call that unfortunately did not happen as scheduled. The recruiter did not join the call and later explained it was a US national holiday and that an update had supposedly been sent, although the original calendar invite was never changed. We eventually rescheduled and had the screening conversation. As an international candidate interviewing remotely from Amsterdam, all conversations were conducted online. During the recruiter screening, the process was initially described as a few interview stages with the hiring manager and team members. However, the actual process later changed and turned into a full interview loop with several additional interviews across product and engineering. The hiring manager and interviewers themselves were very professional, friendly, and the discussions were engaging. Conversations focused on platform delivery, cross-team coordination, and real examples from previous roles. At one point during the interviews, there was also a very detailed discussion about the implementation of a project from my previous company, including questions about the name of a specific component and the exact mechanism behind it. The depth of the questions felt closer to a design discussion than a typical interview example. The most frustrating part was the end of the process. After completing the final interview, I followed up with the recruiter regarding the decision. She replied that she would provide an update by the end of the day, but after that there was no response. Two further follow-ups were also ignored. As of now, I never received any final feedback or decision, while the job posting remains open. After completing 6 interviews and reaching the final stage, I believe candidates deserve basic closure and communication, even if the decision is negative. Not receiving any response after multiple follow-ups was disappointing and did not reflect well on the overall candidate experience.

Planet has a long interview process that includes a phone screen with talent acquisition, a 30-minute video call with the hiring manager, a virtual onsite video consisting of 6x 30-min video calls, and a final culture interview. All of the video calls were done using Zoom. I was always kept up-to-date on my current status via my contact in talent acquisition who I could call/text/email (though sometimes wouldn't hear back from for a couple of days). Once my virtual onsite was scheduled I was also given a link to an interview guide online showing each stage in the interview process, links to the zoom calls, tips, and info about the company. From my first phone screen to getting the news I wasn't chosen took 6 weeks. The interviewers were all very engaged and had excellent questions. Most interviews I had felt more like a conversation to discuss how I think and operate. I was also given ample time in each interview to ask questions, and everyone was open and honest about their experiences. Everyone was great at active listening, and my answers would often lead to more in-depth conversations on the situation. The hiring manager's style was different, they focused on rapid-fire questions and wanted me to have quick answers rather than have a conversation with feedback on each of my responses. I ultimately wasn't chosen over someone else who had more experience than me. I was given minimal but positive feedback over the phone from my contact in talent acquisition. I was told they were trying to get approval from finance for a second position, but by the time it was approved I had already signed on with another company. The TPM group seems like an excellent team and I'm sure they'll accomplish great things with the right candidate.