First was a kind of "first date" showing off the office and work culture, as well as a few probing technical questions to make sure I knew what a computer was. A few weeks later, I had two solve two coding problems while one of the devs watched via video conference. The problems were pretty simple - the kind of thing you'd expect from a second level programming course. One dealt with HTML, CSS, and Javascript. The second was a really common interview question. I don't want to give it away, but you can count on my word that any coding interview question book will go over it. The last and most intense part was a full day coding interview. It was a like a solo hackathon, a pressure cooker to see how you react under duress. Given a fake customer request, the problem was to create an entire web application in about 8 hours, given a week or so of prep to get the skeleton and CSS finished. You're encouraged to pair with two other co-ops to solve the problem, but their effectiveness is a roll of the dice. You can use whatever web app framework you want, and if the co-op isn't familiar with that framework you're up a creek. Ostensibly the code day is supposed to test your ability to prioritize, but you should also spend time asking questions to other co-ops and devs about the work culture - I wish I had done that. At the end, you present your application in front of a dozen or so developers, co-ops, and an unknown cabal on a phone conference. The questioning part is intense - they want to see if you know how to admit that you don't know something. Truth be told, they don't even know the answer to some of their questions. Keep cool, tell a few jokes, and admit when you don't know, and you'll survive. This is one of the most intense interviews you can go through for an entry-level tech job in Ohio. If you make it through, that's an accomplishment on its own.
