I applied on their website and got an automated email asking for my availability. Provided that and then had to update again after not getting a response for two weeks. I eventually got a cold call in the middle of a work meeting from a recruiter without ever having a meeting scheduled. Despite a decade of experience working in big tech companies, I was asked to do a Karat interview. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, this is where companies can't be bothered to do their own interviews and outsource it to random third-party tech workers. Whatever, it's just a coding screen right? I scheduled it for the following evening. The interviewer seemed very checked out, quizzed me for 10 minutes with random CSS gotchas and obscure details of HTTP headers that any normal person would Google instead of memorizing. Then I got the honor of being subjected to a series of coding questions, with the second one being LC-hard requiring Dynamic Programming. (recall that this is just a coding screen). Apparently, there was still a third question that I never got to. At the end, the interviewer mentioned the option for a 'no questions asked redo'. Feeling caught off guard by the negative experience, I went ahead and scheduled that for later in the week, but that resulted in a similar experience. I was better prepared and did a better job, but found out after that they send both recordings to CZI, so I'm not sure what the point of wasting my time with a redo was. To CZI's credit, they at least had the decency to send a generic 'not interested' email 2 days later, which is not a given in the current market. It seems like they are doing interesting work, and they pay better than any other NGO (but still a lot less than big tech companies), but I find it shocking that they feel they need to have a harder screen than Google, Meta, etc. Maybe they really want you to care about the mission, but if that were true, you'd think they'd care enough to not outsource something as important as interviewing. I would recommend just saying no to anyone asking you to do a Karat in the future unless you're really desperate.

Interview process was your standard: 1. Recruiter Screen 2. HM interview 3. VP interview + 3 technical rounds + 1 ask me anything round 4. Recruiter Sync Roopali was an amazing recruiter and coordinator throughout the entire process. She consistently kept me informed about key decisions, timelines, and next steps, which made everything feel transparent and well-organized. She was responsive, professional, and genuinely supportive, ensuring I always knew where I stood. Most importantly, she never ghosted me, something that’s unfortunately common in today’s job market, which I truly appreciated. Her communication and follow through made the experience smooth and positive from start to finish. If you get her as a recruiter, you are in good hands!