1. Initial phone screen. - Called by them in response to a letter I sent. Typical phone screen, but also high degree of engagement and discussion. It seemed clear that ThoughtWorks as not a fill out the form kind of a company.
2. Scheduled meeting with hiring manager. He was traveling through town and he invited me to breakfast at an interesting restaurant. We met there and had a rip roaring discussion of product development, developmental life-cycle, and how to attack problems you have never encountered. While we covered typical background material, it was clear that he was interested in whether he found me interesting and thoughtful in my approach to complicated problems and leading clients to places they have never been before. He was especially interested in how I attack problems that I have not encountered previously. I thought I did not overwhelm him and was delighted to be informed later that he wanted me to advance in the hiring process.
3. The "Gauntlet". Nearly full day of meetings with various staff at ThoughtWorks. First was being greeted by the admin. Make no mistake, this IS one of the most important interviews. While the admin presented themselves as our assistants in a day of rigorous interviewing, I sensed that how I treated the admin was at least as important as how I responded to all the interviewers throughout the day. I was lucky and the admin turned out to coach throughout the day with little suggestions. I really appreciated her kindness in what is one of the most challenging interview processes that I have encountered.
- Wunderlic test. This is a short IQ test that many firms use. I found it interesting and have no idea how I scored. I know the NFL administers this as well. While this was stressful, I did not find it overwhelming.
- Logic Test: Wow. Humility in several pages of paper and a pencil. I thought it made standardized tests look like child's play. 11 questions, each more difficult than the previous. We were given 1 hour to complete as many as possible. The truth is that I actually enjoyed the exam but did not feel I did so well on it. The admin later informs me discreetly that the average score is 1 or 2. She got a 4. Yeah. The admin got a 4. Everyone is good at ThoughtWorks.
- One on Ones: had three of these. Enjoyed them and found myself asking as many questions as I was asked. I felt validated to experience being asked questions about who I am as a person and how that translates into the professional world. I was surprised during a scenario walk through, when the consultant asked how I treat an unruly and extremely difficult and uncooperative customer. We walked through typical techniques in customer satisfaction such as identifying pain points and helping them through these, helping client gain internal support, demonstrating tangible progress to their supervisors, none worked in this case. I finally said, "I have run out of solutions, what would you do?" Her answer, "Sometimes, you have to fire the client if they will not permit you to be successful." I guess they believe in what they say about being candid and authentic.
- Groups Interviews: had two. One with the extended team and one with the senior local staff (which included a senior corporate executive that happened to be in town,) Extended team included developers and other consultants and one transitioning from developer into a role that I was interviewing for. I was dazzled at the capabilities demonstrated in the interview. They were all really sharp and fluent in multiple domains. Many of the developers would have been ace at business modeling or solutions development as well. The one transitioning was the worst dressed among them and was accordingly the smartest. After one question he asked me I simply said, "I know you already know the answer to that..." - and then gave him the answer. Overall, the team was one of the smartest that I have met, yet they made me feel welcomed and valued. Not only for my knowledge but for me as a person. Clearly one of the most affirming yet challenging interviews I have ever had.
-Senior team: tough. They really asked a lot about my motives, my person, and my ambitions. They wanted to know if I fit the ThoughtWorks paradigm. Loving technology excellence and being a decent human being.