First: If the Adobe HR executive team ever reads these things, please please please help improve this process. It’s hurting your reputation. From what I could tell, the folks out of SJO seem to be great! Really on-point, engaged, communicate well and frequently, etc. All the stuff you would expect. But, Seattle. Yikes. Something is going wrong there. Read the hundreds of reviews that speak of these problems. Not just on Glassdoor… all over the web and other channels that us tech folks scoop out company cultures and job opportunities. The reputation proceeds you on this subject.
Second: The experience…
Longest most ambitious process I’ve ever seen in my entire career. The reputation is true. Adobe recruiters (especially the Seattle folks) do not communicate. They are non-responsive, and are prone to totally ghosting you. You need to be VERY proactive, and hound them to even get basic details about the process, the interview itself, and updates along the way. The entire process end-to-end took about 11 weeks! Shocking!
I submitted an application. No response. I was able to reach a recruiter a week later, who finally got me in touch with the Seattle recruiting team. A month later, the Seattle team respond after I had to directly follow up to get a response.
At the end of the month they finally were able to set up a call (several days after contact) and that all seemed to go smoothly. The coordinators are fantastic! Scheduled the interviews, had details about who you meet, when and where. All of that was very sooth for on-site interviews.
The on-site interviews were fine. All of the interviewers were very nice, and we had engaging 1:1 conversations. Some of the questions asked are kinda weird, but the majority of the time we talked about the product, team culture, etc. The sessions are very informal. It will take about a half day.
After the on-site interview, the recruiter ghosted. No follow-up, no feedback, nothingnesses even after repeated emails for next steps. They didn’t even ask how it went. Strange stuff… Three weeks later, the recruiter finally responds that they were still compiling feedback. Another two weeks later the recruiter responds thanking me for checking in. Still no info.
Four whopping weeks later, a final onsite interview was scheduled and a subsequent rejection.
They were so non-communicative that after five weeks into it, I figured that they didn’t want to hire me so I move on to interviewing and taking in offers from other companies. I was totally shocked when I was asked to come in for a final-interview.
I read all of the reviews, and blog posts about Adobe’s notorious recruitment process but wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. Seriously… the rumors are very real!
Tips:
1. Go ahead and apply. They are a great company. Don’t be afraid to dig in and do the work necessary to get noticed and get in the interview loop.
2. Be proactive, they WON’T follow-up with you. They WON’T reach out to you. They WILL ghost you if you aren’t top of mind. You must do the work!
3. Don’t get discouraged, you just might still be in the running.
4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It might be an awesome company, but nearly 3 months waiting and vying for responses is a long time. Apply to other places, hedge your bets.
Things to know:
1. Unlike other tech companies in this area, their interviews are unstructured. Very casual. Conversational.
2. If you are a good fit for the company, it doesn't matter. You only get to interview for the specific role, and will not be placed, considered, or recommended by HR for other roles at the company. You will need to start from scratch.
3. The hiring manager may not be very engaged in the process. Unlike at some places, they might not reach out, see how you felt about things, follow-up on next steps, etc. My hiring manager, was pretty engaged but again...I was proactive in reaching out. Don't expect that from everyone.
4. If you make it to the final round, you will probably get leaders who will talk about themselves the entire time and not let you get a word in about you, the role or your thoughts. Try your very best to get a few words in. It will derail your interview, and may not give you the best opportunity to shine. You might need to get bullish. Go for it!