Overall, Circle's interviews were warm, thorough, and left me with a good sense of the company and culture. Their pre-interview and hiring process however leaves room for growth.
Pre-interview, I applied via Indeed in March, and waited a month before hearing back from a recruiter. This process was very long, and I waited until late May to get an interview.
Pre-interview in April, I was asked by Circle's recruiter how much I would expect for a salary; there's a whole host of reasons I believe companies should publish salary expectations in job posts, and for me pay equity is at the top. When I gave a range, I did not hear back from the recruiter for several days. After reaching out again, the recruiter stated I was way out of their range. After lowering my numbers significantly, the recruiter immediately set me up with an interview. It was an uncomfortable way to start the experience, as it showed that I was qualified for the position and salary was the only reason I was initially denied an interview.
After this, I interviewed over Zoom once, where I spoke to a senior manager and director, both who made the interview smooth and thorough. I was asked pretty standard interview questions, as well as job-specific qualification questions related to my experience. They gave me ample room to ask questions, and gave an overview of Circle's work that was easy to follow and wasn't robotic; I could really tell that they enjoyed their work and were passionate about finding the best fit.
The one question I thought wasn't a great marker was "why should we hire you?" This is an enormously open ended question that felt like they were reading from a script. It was the only question I feel that could make a candidate think "why should *I* work here" as the ones doing the interview should be the experts on the job and company, not the other way around. It also comes across as "prove yourself", rather than "why is this a great match for both of us?"
This question aside, it was a great conversational interview overall!