Back in 2014, I was hired to be the webmaster for the McMaster Engineering Society. Their website was built using WordPress, and hosted on GoDaddy. Since then, I’ve always wanted to work at Automattic and when the opportunity came up in 2021, I took it.
This post isn’t meant to be a blueprint for how you would succeed in the interview process, but more of a breakdown of my experience. I would recommend reading David Artiss’s post here for that kind of a blueprint. His post was immensely helpful to me, along with this one.
The Position
I work as a Senior Software Engineer in the VIP division. To understand what WordPress VIP is, I’ll use a great line from our documentation:
If you are a large enterprise with many employees, complex security requirements, and high traffic, a custom application to deploy, or a need to simply contain costs and risk, WordPress VIP is probably the right choice.
https://wpvip.com/wordpress-org-vs-wordpress-com-vs-wordpress-vip/
With that, let’s jump into the interview process.
Breakdown of the Interview Process
I will note that this was the process when I interviewed late last year (2021). The following are the stages you go through, in the process:
- Chat with a recruiter
- Slack based interview with someone from engineering
- Code test & HR chat about compensation alignment
- Trial
- HR chat for the offer
Recruiter Chat
The very first step after you apply, is a recruiter chat. This starts via email, as there are some basic admin questions that need to be answered. After that, you schedule a zoom call with the option of having video on or off.
Use this time to ask any questions you might have, especially around our remote work policy, how we work, etc.
Slack Interview
After the recruiter call, you are given Slack access with your own dedicated channel where all communication takes place.
The benefits of this are:
- Experience how it’s like to work and communicate with your potential colleagues
- Seamless transition from your interview slack account to a real one when you do start at Automattic
- We rarely use email as Slack and P2 are our preferred ways of communication
The next stage is an hour long async interview in this channel, with someone from the Engineering team. This is meant to be a conversation around your work experience, provide you information around how we work as well as answer any questions that you may have.
Code Test & Compensation Alignment
Once you move past the slack interview, you are tasked with solving a front end or backend test. The choice is yours, and all coordination is done via Slack for setting up your GitHub access.
You are provided access to a GitHub repo with a set of tasks to complete. This repo has your development environment setup already, so as to make the entire process easy to work with. Given you have Slack access, everyone in the channel is available to answer any questions you may have.
While this is ongoing, you’ll also have HR get in touch with you to align on compensation. This is meant to make sure you are happy with the compensation range, before going too deep into the interview process. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions you may have! One of the values we always believe in, is that communication is oxygen.
The Trial
Once you pass the code test, and are aligned on compensation you move on to one of the hardest stages in the interview process – the trial. This is meant to be a true representation of how we work at Automattic, and requires you to be truly invested in the process.
Just like the code test, you get to pick if you want to do a front end or back end project. You’ll also get access to a GitHub repo with the necessary instructions, your very own P2 and expanded slack access. P2 is how we communicate with one another while working remotely, spread out over 96 countries.
If it’s not on P2, then it didn’t happen.
The golden rule to follow when it comes to decisions
It’s going to feel like a big change having to use a blog to communicate your decisions, progress, as well as any blockers you have rather than a daily standup or a meeting. That’s part of the process, so embrace it and remember, there is no such thing as over-communicating, or being too detailed.
I highly recommend making a plan for how you are going to tackle your deliverables, and try to break them down into smaller achievable goals. This helped me visualize a path forward, while also demonstrating real progress. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and always try to be clear in your reasoning behind them.
It’s expected that you will be putting in around 20-40 hours, spread out over 2-4 weeks. Something that I did that helped me, was plan out my time for working on this trial. I worked my day job from 9 to 5 and set aside the following for the trial:
- 8am to 9am: My trial buddy’s timezone meant the end of his day overlapped with the start of mine, and the start of his overlapped with the end of mine. So I ensured to put up PRs and P2 posts at the end of my day and reviewed any feedback during this time slot. This way if there was something quick that I wanted resolved, I could mention it now and get an answer.
- 7pm to 11pm: After finishing my day job, I set some time aside to spend with my partner and grab dinner first. After that, I would begin to work on the trial.
- For weekends I played it by ear based on how I progressed that week, and what I had planned for the weekend already.
A big credit during this time goes to my wonderful wife who allowed me to focus on the trial, while she took care of everything else.
The Offer
Getting this far means that you were successful in the trial, and have moved on to the chat with HR to discuss your offer. This is meant to go over the details of the offer with an HR Wrangler via Slack.
Post Offer
Once you sign the offer, it’s official that you’ll be starting at Automattic! The onboarding process begins shortly after you sign, as you’ll start to get access to various accounts, ability to order your laptop as well as any accessories you need, breakdown of the various benefits including a generous home office setup, your very own onboarding checklist and a welcome pack. Because we are an entirely remote company, you get to make your own welcome post that can include a short video about yourself so everyone can get to know you better.
Overall, the interview process is by no means easy but I found it challenging and fun to go through. If you are interested in working here, head over here to see what’s available!
Gopal Krishnan 