Interviewing at Cazoo?
Who said interviewing isn’t fun?
Cazoo definitely changed that! Did I really start and finish the interview process in 5 days? Read on to find out…
Introduction
There are many reasons I joined Cazoo! The interview is what really stood out for me. It was fun, I learned a lot and met some great people. We managed to go through the process in 5 days! I wanted to share the amazing experience with you all.
About me
My name is Ahmed Jeylani and I am currently a Software Engineer at Cazoo! It was the best decision I made! I’m always learning and work with some amazing people.
I’ve been with Cazoo for 3 months and it is even better than I expected. I came from a mainly .Net background with JS. This made me nervous when starting since the tech stack is completely different. However, my team and the Cazoo engineers made it soo easy for me. They gave me the resources and guidance I needed to quickly develop and progress. But I still have A LOT to learn!
Day 0 — Initial conversation with recruiter Derek Millar
It all started with an email which led to a call with Derek, who gave me a rundown of Cazoo and what they are looking for. He gave me a breakdown of the interview process and then forwarded me a VERY detailed email on what each stage is going to look like and what they expect!
Day 1 — Meet & Greet
I met three Software Engineers that I would be pair programming with. We had a short 15 minutes chat. They wanted to make sure my environment was set up correctly and ready for the pair programming session. Even though this was just a standard conversation, I was really nervous.
In those short 15 minutes, the engineers Vittorio Guerriero, Jack Bittiner and Toby Hasler-Winter, were able to calm my nerves and make it a very fun and relaxing conversation.
Day 2 — Pair Programming
This is where the nerves really kicked in. I had experienced doing pair programming interviews before and I’d always found them uncomfortable and nerve racking. However, I have never done it with 3 ENGINEERS! I was REALLY nervous.
I have never enjoyed a pair programming session as much as I did in that interview. This includes pairing sessions that weren’t interviews. I hope this emphasises just how good it was. This gave me a really good insight into what it’s like to be a Software Engineer at Cazoo.
It was a relaxed and fun environment and I received good advice and guidance whilst I was carrying out the task. At one point the programming was happening in the background whilst we were having a good technical discussion and it felt like a normal conversation with friends.
This made me more confident and even more eager to join Cazoo!
Day 3 — Technical Discussion
I was really confident going into this because I had created a PowerPoint that was a visual representation of a system I had built. I knew and understood the whole system very well.
HOWEVER! What made me nervous was talking to Ken Lim, an Engineering Manager and Tolga Sofuoglu, a Principal Engineer/Architect. Luckily my confidence and knowledge of the system I had built really helped my nerves.
I was asked a TON of questions. They weren’t designed to catch me out, they wanted to understand the reason behind my solution. When I didn’t understand a question or didn’t know how to answer they were really helpful in guiding me to give the right answer!
They gave me alternatives and other outlooks that I had never considered. It was really beneficial to get advice from experienced people.
I left the discussion very happy, confident and with a lot ideas on how to improve my solution even further.
Day 5 AM — Values
I saw this as a breather from all the hard work I had to put in during the difficult technical conversations. This was no longer about my capabilities but how well I fit with what Cazoo is all about.
I was in complete awe of the happiness, enthusiasm and drive of Kieran Abbott, Jing Yu and Sandra Dalli. I am used to interviewers being unenthusiastic about interviewing. I got a really good insight on the Cazoo values and what they offer as an employer. The atmosphere they created was relaxing, extremely friendly and professional. I could FEEL the productivity.
We got along really well and ONCE AGAIN it felt like a casual conversation between friends. I felt really welcomed and I hadn’t even joined Cazoo yet. We spoke about my experiences, my ambitions and what I could bring to Cazoo.
I knew what I wanted from a company and quickly realised Cazoo provided it. A fast paced environment that provides loads of challenges and gives you the resources to grow.
Can you really ask for much more?
Day 5 PM — GOT THE JOB!
Got the call!
So let’s conclude…
That’s right, in FIVE days we managed to get through the whole interview process, and I felt that at every step of the way I was made to feel like I belonged at Cazoo. Even with three amazing offers from different companies Cazoo came out on top!
If you think this sounds great, then you should apply for a role here too. You can find out more about our live vacancies at: https://www.cazoo.co.uk/careers/.
