The interview process consisted of 5-6 total meetings with the hiring manager, team leads, and engineers. The process itself was professional and held in a welcoming environment. Most of the focus was on previous experiences and giving examples of how I handled certain types of situations. Unfortunately after spending hours on this process, I was told that they wouldn't be moving forward with my application because I do not specifically have previous experience as a product manager. It is obvious from my CV that I haven't worked as a product manager, and I even underlined that fact to the hiring manager during our first talk. At no point was it raised as an issue. Apparently it suddenly became a requirement, at the very end of the process. Frankly, it's hard to see this interview process as anything but an egregious waste of my time. It also indicates some rather questionable management practices.

The interview process at Box started with a recruiter screen, where I shared my background, motivations, and overall fit for the role. From there, I moved on to the hiring manager interview, which was meant to go deeper into my experience and how I could contribute to the team’s goals. Unfortunately, the hiring manager came across as overly aggressive and confrontational, which made it feel less like an interview and more like I was being badgered. The next stage was the virtual onsite, which included a design interview on my problem-solving approach, an engineering interview to assess collaboration with technical teams, and a bar raiser interview that looked at leadership and culture fit. The process concluded with a case presentation to the hiring manager and a peer, but again the hiring manager dominated the session, constantly interrupting and leaving little space for the peer to engage. In the end, I did not receive an offer, but I was genuinely relieved as it confirmed that the culture was not a fit and I would not have enjoyed working there.