I recently interviewed with Asana, and unfortunately would review their process as the opposite of what they're going for.
The first sentence is not far off from what their process is. My interviews with them were composed of one helpful database problem, after which they explained how they designed their production database, followed by a bunch of frivolous algorithms problems.
I did not receive an offer from them, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Asana seemed like a company that has some great engineers, and runs well in general. I would, however, like to provide some constructive criticism for their interview process.
1. Their engineers can use some training on how to interview. Several of them came into the room noticeably anxious. Hearing what the problems were was easy, but communication was very difficult when it came to figuring out what kind of answer they were actually looking for.
2. The questions they use are very academic, which to me means they are mental exercises lacking practical grounding. As an interviewer, it's very uninspiring to have to solve academic problems without getting a peak into the business' real problems.
3. The whole process wasted way too much time. Obviously I wouldn't have cared as much if they had given an offer, but I think it's important to be conscious of this nonetheless. My suggestion would be to pick topics for interviewers to cover, and cut out the repetition of the problems. Plan a process that will lead to a decision with one shorter visit, be respectful of peoples' time.
I hope that helps. I received more offers I'm excited about, and I hope to see the company succeed from the outside.
The first sentence is not far off from what their process is. My interviews with them were composed of one helpful database problem, after which they explained how they designed their production database, followed by a bunch of frivolous algorithms problems.
I did not receive an offer from them, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Asana seemed like a company that has some great engineers, and runs well in general. I would, however, like to provide some constructive criticism for their interview process.
1. Their engineers can use some training on how to interview. Several of them came into the room noticeably anxious. Hearing what the problems were was easy, but communication was very difficult when it came to figuring out what kind of answer they were actually looking for.
2. The questions they use are very academic, which to me means they are mental exercises lacking practical grounding. As an interviewer, it's very uninspiring to have to solve academic problems without getting a peak into the business' real problems.
3. The whole process wasted way too much time. Obviously I wouldn't have cared as much if they had given an offer, but I think it's important to be conscious of this nonetheless. My suggestion would be to pick topics for interviewers to cover, and cut out the repetition of the problems. Plan a process that will lead to a decision with one shorter visit, be respectful of peoples' time.
I hope that helps. I received more offers I'm excited about, and I hope to see the company succeed from the outside.