Interview Scheduler

Design interview process for:
- Role: Senior Software Engineer
- Team: 5 engineers, 1 manager
- Timeline: Hire within 3 weeks
- Format: Hybrid (some remote, some onsite)

## Interview Process: Senior Software Engineer

### Process Overview

| Stage | Format | Duration | Interviewers | Turnaround |
|-------|--------|----------|--------------|------------|
| 1. Recruiter Screen | Phone | 30 min | Recruiter | Same day |
| 2. Technical Screen | Video | 60 min | Engineer | 24 hours |
| 3. Onsite Loop | In-person | 4 hours | Panel | 24 hours |
| 4. Debrief | Internal | 30 min | All | Same day |
| 5. Offer | Call | 15 min | HM + Recruiter | 48 hours |

**Total Timeline:** 10-14 business days

---

### Stage 1: Recruiter Screen

**Format:** Phone/Video call
**Duration:** 30 minutes
**Interviewer:** Recruiter

**Purpose:** Basic qualification, logistics, motivation

**Questions:**
1. Walk me through your background (5 min)
2. Why are you interested in this role? (3 min)
3. What's your ideal next role? (3 min)
4. Salary expectations? (2 min)
5. Timeline and availability? (2 min)
6. Candidate questions (10 min)

**Pass Criteria:**
- [ ] Meets minimum experience (5+ years)
- [ ] Reasonable salary alignment
- [ ] Available within timeline
- [ ] Genuine interest

---

### Stage 2: Technical Screen

**Format:** Video call with code sharing
**Duration:** 60 minutes
**Interviewer:** Senior Engineer (Sarah)

**Purpose:** Technical depth, problem-solving, code quality

**Structure:**
- 5 min: Introductions
- 10 min: Technical background discussion
- 35 min: Coding problem (medium difficulty)
- 10 min: System design discussion
- 5 min: Candidate questions

**Assessment Areas:**
| Area | Weight | Signals |
|------|--------|---------|
| Problem solving | 40% | Approach, communication |
| Code quality | 30% | Clean, tested, efficient |
| Technical depth | 20% | Language mastery, patterns |
| Collaboration | 10% | Receptive to hints, explains well |

**Pass Criteria:** Score 3+ on each area (1-5 scale)

---

### Stage 3: Onsite Loop (4 Hours)

**Panel Composition:**

| Time | Interview | Interviewer | Focus |
|------|-----------|-------------|-------|
| 9:00 | System Design | Tom (Staff Eng) | Architecture thinking |
| 10:00 | Code Review | Lisa (Senior Eng) | Code quality, feedback |
| 11:00 | Hiring Manager | Mike (Eng Manager) | Fit, growth, expectations |
| 12:00 | Lunch | Any team member | Culture, informal |
| 1:00 | Behavioral | Sarah (Senior Eng) | STAR examples |

**Detailed Interview Guides:**

#### System Design (Tom, 9:00-10:00)

**Question:** "Design a real-time notification system for a social media platform"

**Assessment:**
| Criterion | What to Look For |
|-----------|------------------|
| Requirements gathering | Clarifies scale, features |
| High-level design | Components, data flow |
| Deep dive | Storage, queuing, delivery |
| Trade-offs | Articulates decisions |
| Scale | Handles growth scenarios |

#### Code Review (Lisa, 10:00-11:00)

**Exercise:** Review prepared PR with intentional issues

**Assessment:**
| Criterion | What to Look For |
|-----------|------------------|
| Bug detection | Finds logic errors |
| Style feedback | Constructive, specific |
| Security awareness | Identifies vulnerabilities |
| Communication | Kind, actionable feedback |

#### Hiring Manager (Mike, 11:00-12:00)

**Topics:**
1. Career trajectory and goals
2. Management style preferences
3. Conflict resolution examples
4. Growth areas and learning
5. Questions about team/role

#### Behavioral (Sarah, 1:00-2:00)

**STAR Questions:**
1. "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a technical decision"
2. "Describe a project that failed and what you learned"
3. "Give an example of helping a teammate grow"
4. "Tell me about navigating ambiguity"

---

### Stage 4: Debrief

**Timing:** Same day, 4:00 PM
**Attendees:** All interviewers + Recruiter
**Format:** 30-minute structured discussion

**Agenda:**
| Time | Activity |
|------|----------|
| 0-5 | Written feedback review (pre-submitted) |
| 5-20 | Round-robin: Each interviewer shares (3 min each) |
| 20-25 | Discussion of concerns/questions |
| 25-30 | Decision: Strong Yes / Yes / No / Strong No |

**Decision Criteria:**
- Strong Yes from HM required
- No more than 1 "No" vote
- Technical interviewers must be Yes+

---

### Communication Templates

**Interview Confirmation:**

**Post-Interview Next Steps:**

Need to schedule 4 interviews for tomorrow:
- Candidates: Alice, Bob, Carol
- Interviewers available: Mike (9-12), Sarah (10-2), Tom (11-4)
- Each interview: 45 minutes

## Optimized Interview Schedule

### Tomorrow's Schedule

| Time | Mike | Sarah | Tom |
|------|------|-------|-----|
| 9:00 | Alice | - | - |
| 10:00 | - | Bob | - |
| 11:00 | Carol | - | Alice |
| 12:00 | - | Carol | Bob |
| 1:00 | - | - | Carol |

### By Candidate

| Candidate | Interview 1 | Interview 2 |
|-----------|-------------|-------------|
| Alice | Mike @ 9:00 | Tom @ 11:00 |
| Bob | Sarah @ 10:00 | Tom @ 12:00 |
| Carol | Mike @ 11:00 | Sarah @ 12:00 |

### Notes

- Alice: 2-hour gap between interviews (offer coffee/workspace)
- Bob: Back-to-back, efficient
- Carol: Back-to-back, efficient

### Calendar Invites Needed

1. Alice + Mike: 9:00-9:45
2. Bob + Sarah: 10:00-10:45
3. Alice + Tom: 11:00-11:45
4. Carol + Mike: 11:00-11:45
5. Bob + Tom: 12:00-12:45
6. Carol + Sarah: 12:00-12:45
7. Carol + Tom: 1:00-1:45