I applied to the job on Indeed in November 2020 and heard back within a few days from their Talent Acquisition Specialist.
We had a friendly chat about me and what I'm looking for, plus I learned a tiny bit about the company. That conversation got the ball rolling. They also, helpfully, pointed out that with the COVID-19 situation and the holidays around the corner, that this role they're hiring for may not start until the New Year and wanted to check that I was okay with that.
From there I had my first interview with both an HR rep and a Marketing person (who would be the direct supervisor for this role.) It was an online interview for about an hour focused mostly on teaching me a bit about the company and its products. I also got to share my story and what I have to offer. It was a fun interview that felt like they were more checking for a culture fit and seeing if my personality would gel with the rest of the team.
I heard back from them a few days later and they said they'd like to keep going in this process with me and asked me to complete a small project for them. I saw the project as a chance for me to show off my writing, style, and skills. It took less than three hours to complete.
Then, I had a second interview with the same person from Marketing and the Director of Product. This was a more technical interview (and the most difficult) where they were curious to learn about my SEO knowledge and my experience with certain applications and tools.
Finally, I met with the company's principal and founder. At that point, this last interview was the most chill and it was essentially a chance for me to ask her questions, talk about myself, and find out about their hope for this role.
As an applicant, I felt respected and valued through the entire process. This was my first interview with a tech company and it seemed to be quite a thorough process and I haven't done this many interviews before. I appreciated how communication was clear and they were extremely thoughtful of my time and energy. Plus, they were really open to feedback on everything which was a good sign.
Ultimately, I'm grateful for the chance to get to know the people I would be working with before my first day. It gave me confidence that this was a good place to work with good people rather than jumping into an unknown workplace culture. The entire process was long, but it was an awkward time to be looking for work and I actually loved getting the offer before the holidays and starting in the New Year.