Remember, you’re in an interview to ask questions as well as answer them. We always provide some time in interview for candidates to ask questions so take advantage of it. What do you want to know about HubSpot? Your questions could be technical questions, business questions, or culture questions.
We have a ton of different teams at HubSpot working on very different kinds of engineering. Think about what kinds of problems you want to solve and products you want to work on and let the recruiters and interviewers know that. If you aren’t sure what teams you are most interested in, ask your interviewers about the different teams!
We don’t ask “brain teaser” questions. We don’t care how many golf balls fit inside a 747, we care how well you can write and understand code, work with other people, and figure out real problems. Our interviews reflect that.
Again, we want to see how you work in real life, not just in an interview environment. If you can, bring your own laptop so that you have a coding environment you are confortable with. Also, feel free to use Google/Stack Overflow to solve the problems during the interview.
You don’t need to study up on your freshman CS textbook, but you should be prepared to talk about yourself. Think about your previous experience and the stories you want to tell about it. What have you done that you’re really proud of? The best teams you’ve been a part of? What are the toughest problem you’ve solved? What background do you have to give the interviewers to show just how tough that project was?
When answering technical questions, take your time in answering. With someone watching, it’s tempting to start in right away. It’s better to think about the question and talk through your thought process. Make sure to verbalize every step of your solution. How do you interpret the problem? What tradeoffs are you considering? If you need more information to answer a question, say so! As interviewers, we are less interested in what you know and more interested in how you think.
Don’t confuse professionalism with roboticism. It’s of course it’s a good idea to be professional in an interview, but that doesn’t mean you should feel like you have to be emotionless. If you’re nervous, it’s OK to say so. If you’re excited, show it!
We have a casual workplace here so dressing up in a suit makes you stick out a lot. Leave the suit at home unless you intend to wear it every day.
For additional logistical information, check out Interviewing at HubSpot.