J'ai postulé en ligne. J'ai passé un entretien chez Databricks
Entretien
Initial interviews where by video call, 30 mins to assess fitness/value/what you (might be) looking for. Questions were reasonable enough, most were fairly predictable but there were a few stand-out ones (retrospective of previous people you enjoyed working with and why). Process was ok, though there was some inefficient communication with HR (e.g. asking to please give us some slots for the next interview, but failing to mention the interviewer was 9 timezones away). Technical screening interview was also fine - really enjoyed discussing the interview problem and what it was like to work at DataBricks.
Moved to on-site round. Whilst I could have maybe been more proactive in giving more information, the questions from their side were almost identical to the screening ones. Areas they had signalled as important didn't come up (growth/recruitment). Instead there was focus on things like executing product strategy. Questions didn't really align with job description at the time, looks like its more up-to date now.
Happy I got as far as I did - on site was underwhelming, and it cost me a days vacation.
Questions d'entretien [1]
Question 1
Describe a previous project manager you enjoyed working with.
J'ai postulé via un recruteur. Le processus a pris 2 mois. J'ai passé un entretien chez Databricks (San Francisco, CA) en févr. 2026
Entretien
Standard interview process; but you need to get yes in all of them. System design was hardest. Even if you get green light from everyone, the packet needs to get approved by the hiring committee, and will need references from your current/prior companies.
Questions d'entretien [1]
Question 1
leadership & vision, system design, hiring, team management, etc.
J'ai postulé via un recruteur. J'ai passé un entretien chez Databricks (Amsterdam) en août 2025
Entretien
Interview process significantly broken and unpleasant.
I interviewed for an EM role in Amsterdam. 'System-programming' interview question was more appropriate for a 2-3 hours home-assignment than for a 1-hour interview. Surprisingly I passed. Management skills interviewers seemed openly antagonistic. Cut me every few words; Where evidently not really listening. Between the lines it seemed their culture is extremely focused on the tactical and short-term, with zero tolerance for any type of medium or high-level leadership.
In general, it felt like they were not interested in my skills at all, and were just going through the motions of the process. Ultimately got ghosted.
Questions d'entretien [1]
Question 1
SD: Design an object-store system. A highly simplified version of Amazon S3.
J'ai passé un entretien chez Databricks (San Francisco, CA)
Entretien
HM interview, panel presentation with directors and staff engs, and then several rounds of technical competency and architecture. It was well organized but a little stiff. They encourage you to have other offers and prefer candidates who are still in their current roles.