Tuenti selection process: tips & tricks
To many of us, going through a selection process is like removing a band aid: you want to do it fast so it ends quickly and as painlessly as possible. But let’s be honest: even if we do it quick, it still hurts. Though in the case of the band aid, there are other techniques that help us so it is fully painless. Well, with selection processes it is the same. When you feel prepared and full of confidence, the process doesn’t become tiresome and tedious.
I went through this process at Tuenti a few years ago and I still remember how nervous I felt. I wanted it to end and I kept thinking how different it was compared to other companies which are more conventional. Nowadays, I’m on the other side of the desk. It’s me who interviews candidates. And anytime I do, I remember when I was the candidate and keep thinking how much better it would have been if only I had someone who had told me a bit more about the process, removing that band aid wouldn’t have been such a problem at all.
So let me give you some tips and tricks which could help you feel more confident about the process and so you don’t just end up being a bundle of nerves.
The selection process at Tuenti consists of a code test, a couple of phone interviews and a few more in-person discussions. But let’s see each part separately.
First step: the code test
The code test is created “in-house”. Unlike other companies that use sites like HackerRank, we have several test made by our own developers. We send you the exercise and you have around 3–4 hours to solve it.
5 tips that will make you succeed in this step:
- Be consistent with the code style. For example, if you solve it using ObjectiveC, try to put the curly brackets always in the same place (either at the end of the instruction or always in a new line). Don’t mix it because it reflects dirty and messy code. And we don’t definitely want messy coders!
- Write a readable code. Think that a developer will review it and you want him/her to understand it at first glance, instead of going back and forth to guess what a variable named “b” does. You want the developer to focus on the real solution of the problem.
- Try to divide the time of the test. All the exercises we have written are composed by several parts, which are well differentiated. For example, if you do the code test for mobile, you’ll see that there’s a part for UI and another for the backend. Split your time, so you can do some of both parts.
- If you feel stuck, use mocks or fake objects. We want to see your code and it will be a pity if due to a problem with an api request, we won’t see all the things you know.
- Ah! We love testing! And it’s the best way to document your code ;)
Second step: The phone interview
The second step of the process is the phone interview. You’ll need to go through two of them, quite similar and divided into two parts. For the first phone interview, one of the developers that reviewed your code test will call you and you will be able to explain in detail all the decisions you took. After that, you’ll go through a series of technical questions, mainly focused on the platform/technology of the position you are being interviewed for. The second phone interview is more focused on cultural fit, but it also has a part with technical questions, to complete the first one.
5 tips that will make you go through this step fast:
- Be critical about your code test. And don’t worry, we know you only had a couple of hours to do it :)
- Go through the basic concepts of what you know. Having solid foundations is important.
- If you don’t know how to define something, use examples. As long as you prove what you know, names and definitions aren’t that important.
- From one interview to the other, review those question you didn’t do well. Who knows? Maybe, you will be asked them again.
- And remember, it is an engineer who will be interviewing you. You can be as techie as you want to, he/she will know what you are talking about ;)
Third step: in-person interview
Third and last part of the process consist of 3 or 4 in-person interviews. In this part, we focus on real problem resolution, design and architecture. Each interview will last one hour and a half and it will have a series of exercises that you will be solving with our engineers.
5 tips to end with the process successfully:
- Prepare yourself. Practice all kind of exercises to gain ability in it.
- Don’t be quiet. Explain what you are thinking and how. Don’t be shy because what you might think is a simple or silly solution, may well be a valid solution.
- But if you don’t know the answer, don’t beat around the bush or try to push to go the the next question. Tell us what you know for sure and try to reason it. The interviewer will end up giving you some hints to help you or even explain what he/she is asking. Not only do we evaluate your knowledge but also your motivation to learn and improve yourself.
- Correct yourself and don’t be nervous about doing that. You’ve proved to have the ability to react quickly.
- Ask, don’t take things for granted. You may not have all the information of the exercise. Don’t stay with doubts!
However, all these tips are useless without the golden rule:
Breathe. Our engineers are there to help you ;)
I hope that with all these tips and tricks, you feel that the process is easier and fun.
See you soon! ;)
