My interview process lasted around two months, and was in four parts (all remote, via Skype): An initial interview with the lead recruiter, a programming assignment with spec via Github, an interview with one of the reviewers for the code submitted, and a final interview with the CTO and two engineers.
The initial interview with the recruiter went very well and I had an initial great impression of the company and the interview process, and I was also happy that I would be given a programming assignment rather than an actual technical interview, or at least a modified technical interview based around my work on the assignment.
After submitting the assignment through Github, I waited for about 10 days with no feedback, and then was sent an email from a different recruiter stating that they would like to continue the process and I would have a second interview with one of the reviewers of my submitted code. The process to set up the interview was smooth, and the interview itself was about what I expected. The main negative was that I had to solicit about how I did on the programming assignment since it wasn't brought up during any of the initial questions or introductions, which was strange to me; I had assumed the assignment would be a focus point of the interview.
I received a response three weeks later stating they would like to like to set up a third interview with the CTO and two engineers. The process for setting up this final interview was also smooth, but at one point the emails felt a bit unprofessional in wording.
During the final interview, I felt confused and put off. Instead of an interview, it felt more like an interrogation, and while the questions were generally fine, at certain points I didn't understand the point that was being put across and instead of rephrasing, multiple times the interviewers seems annoyed at my asking for clarification. I felt like I was being asked the same questions as in the previous two interviews (talk about your school history, your qualifications, etc), and I was also confused that I was asked what my nationality is in one of the initial questions, as I sent in a photo of my passport information to a recruiter very early on in the process. I was also extremely put off during the interview when the CTO stated, "Sell yourself to us. Tell us what would make you a great fit for Smava." When the interview finished I was told that they would get back to me very quickly, within the next day or so, but I received a response (no offer) nine days later.
In general, the interview process was decent length, if not a little long, but the main issues I had with it were the lack of communication both during the process and within the company, and the lack of professionalism later on in the process. A major question I have: why give applicants a programming exercise if it doesn't come up in any of the interviews? I had to ask for feedback and got minimal feedback during the second interview, and it wasn't brought up during the third. I was asked repeat questions, some during all three interviews, which means that the interviewers either don't take notes or don't share notes between themselves. I also felt that I was not treated professionally at times. I shouldn't be told that someone is "too busy" for an interview time slot, and I am also not applying to be a model, so why am I asked to "sell myself" for the position? In both cases I understood the point that was being made but the wording is as important as the meaning and in the latter, especially from the CTO it left a terrible taste.
To end, even if I was given an offer for Smava, I would be unlikely to accept based on this experience. I expect a significantly more professional experience during an interview based on interviews with other companies, including in Berlin.
