The Top 15 Questions Candidates Ask During the Hiring Process

Meury Pontes is a Recruitment Coordinator at GetYourGuide and is passionate about people, creative writing, diversity, equality, and inclusion. Here, she shares her insights into candidates’ most frequently asked questions about our recruitment process. From preparation and references to feedback and next steps, here’s how to navigate the process smoothly.

At GetYourGuide, we believe interviews should be transparent, clear, and above all, a great experience. As recruitment coordinators, we’re in constant communication with candidates. While each one is unique, they share one thing in common: lots of questions!

Because we’re always striving to improve our process and anticipate potential hires’ queries, we’ve gathered the most common questions candidates ask while interviewing with GetYourGuide. Read on for tips and tricks aimed at helping you navigate the process with ease, and approaching each interview with confidence.

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How Many Steps is the Interview Process?

This really depends on the type of role you’re applying for. A working student won't usually have as many steps as someone applying for a more senior role. Below you can find the standard steps in the interview process. These will slightly change from role to role, so we recommend always asking the recruiter in the first interview.

Business Roles

• Phone screen
• Hiring manager interview
• Take-home task, or live test
• Face-to-face (Typically this involves a presentation, stakeholder interview, team fit interview, and recruiter wrap-up, usually on the same day depending on candidates’ schedules)
• Executive interview
• Reference check

Tech Roles

• Phone screen
• Take-home task
• CodeLive tech interview
• Technical screen
• Pool owner screen
• Face-to-face

What is the Deadline for the Take-Home Task?

Depending on the role you’re applying for, you may be sent a task to complete at home. The assignment is usually sent to candidates after the technical screen, and the recruiter will advise as to next steps. Time allocated for completing the take-home task varies, and starts on the day you receive the assignment. Because some roles count only business days and others include weekends,  be sure to pay close attention to the instructions email.

Can I Have Extra Days to Submit the Take-Home Task?

We try to be as flexible and understanding as possible while keeping things fair for everyone in the process. Nevertheless, there are circumstances we can't control in life, and if something happens and you need to request additional days, please contact the Recruitment Coordination team and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

How Can I Prepare for the Team Fit and Stakeholder Interviews?

Team fit interviews are a way for the candidate and team to meet each other. It's an important step for both parties to see if there's a cultural fit. The team will want to know more about you, your working style, and your preferences. You will also have the opportunity to get to know them, their working style and to ask questions.

Stakeholder interviews are an opportunity for the candidate to meet with one of the stakeholders they’ll be working and collaborating with. Both parties can get to know each other, including how they like to work and collaborate. We advise coming up with examples of how you handled different situations in the past, and how you receive and give feedback. Doing some research specific to the role and industry you're applying for would also be helpful.

Will the Face-to-Face Interviews Happen in a Single Sitting or Over Multiple Days?

The face-to-face stage usually involves candidates having multiple interviews in one go. These may comprise a presentation about a task they worked on previously, a stakeholder and a team fit interview and a recruiter wrap-up at the end.

We usually try to hold all these interviews consecutively on the same day. However, sometimes this can be tricky, so some interviews may happen in the morning and others in the afternoon; and in some cases, they may take place over multiple days.

All of this depends on the interviewers’ and candidates’ schedules, and we will always send a confirmation email. Should the proposed timetable not be convenient, please contact us and we will try our best to accommodate your needs.

When Can I Expect Feedback After the Interview Takes Place?

Please always ask the hiring manager or the recruiter at the end of the interview. We try to get back to candidates as fast as possible but every interviewer is different and has different working styles. To manage expectations we always advise asking at the end of each interview about the next steps, deadlines, and timelines.

What Are the Next Steps in the Process?

Please ask! Usually, recruiters will let you know on the first call all the steps involved, but things can change. Perhaps the recruiter has to check your work permit before moving to the next stage. Maybe the person you’re meeting next is out-of-office. Always ask at the end of the interview, regardless of which step you’re currently on.

What Should I Prepare for the Interview?

If this is your first interview with GetYourGuide, do some research about the company, such as the latest news, the company culture, and the team you’re interviewing to join. We have a lot of articles on Inside GetYourGuide or check out the LinkedIn page to get familiar with the company culture and different departments.

If you’re in the later stages, ask the interviewer if there’s anything specific they’d like you to prepare. Have some questions ready in advance related to the role you’re applying for, or about our values and culture.

Can I Send a Manager Contact That isn’t my Current Manager for a Reference Check?

We usually conduct a reference check for candidates applying for business roles. We’re aware that most people's current managers aren’t aware of their job search, so we request the contact details of two of your most recent managers. Previous managers you worked with are acceptable.

Can I Get Detailed Feedback if I am Rejected?

It really depends on which stage of the process you are at. Usually, you get a reason why we’ve decided not to proceed with the rejection email.

Because we receive a lot of applications and conduct multiple interviews each week, we’re only able to offer a feedback call after a candidate has made it to the face-to-face stage.  In this instance, we can offer a 15-minute feedback call.

Do You Share details of Who I Will Interview With Beforehand?

For every interview, we request the candidate’s availability and schedule the interview. We send a confirmation email before the interview with the schedule, names, and job titles of the interviewers who will be joining.

I’m Not Located in Berlin. How Do I Know That the Time of My Interview is in the Correct Timezone?

Our main office is located in Berlin, so most of the interview confirmations will be sent in the CET time zone. Sometimes we do send invitations in the candidate’s timezone. When we send the confirmation email we always specify the time zone, but if anything is unclear, please contact us.

I Accepted Another Offer. Can I Recommend Someone for This Position?

Of course! We’re always looking for the best talent and if you went through the hiring process, you’re probably a good fit for our company culture. We believe that the people you’d recommend will be a fit too.

Can I Go to the Office for the Interview, Or is it Done via Zoom?

One thing Covid has taught us is how to be flexible, and our future of work vision speaks for itself. We still believe in in-person cooperation between teams, but we also acknowledge that flexibility is necessary and appreciated.

As we go back to the office, more interviews will be held in person. However, we will still do interviews via Zoom, not only for those who prefer to do so but also because GetYourGuide hires internationally. If you’re in the first stages of your application and are invited for an interview but it's not clear whether it's in person or via Zoom, please contact the Recruitment Coordination team.

Any Tips and Tricks for the Interview?

Relax and take it easy. It may sound cliché, but it's the truth. Come prepared and do your research. We wish you a great interview and will do our best to support you with everything we can. We know it's impossible to address all questions, so if you still need clarification, please don't hesitate to contact the Recruitment Coordination team. We’re here to provide you with the best candidate experience.

Tech-Specific Questions

Will the Technical and Pool Owner Interview Share a Zoom Link?

We usually schedule the technical interview and pool owner (PO) at the same time to speed up the process and save time, but the interviews are held on different days.

The PO interview only happens if the technical interview was successful and we do let candidates know about this in the email we send requesting their availability. The link for both interviews are usually the same, but we will always confirm by email before every interview takes place.

What Does the Engineering Manager Interview Involve? How Should I Prepare?

This is a non-technical interview and covers alignment with expectations of the role, as well as some of the core competencies we find important in Engineering Managers. Some topics will be related to ownership and impact, both in terms of results you’ve delivered to the business or customer, as well as your mindset.

Additionally, this interview helps to provide clarity on your future aspirations. That includes where you'd like to grow, where your future interests lie (technically and non-technically), and how you own your development.

To best prepare, it's good to think of some projects and examples where you were able to own something and deliver it, what the impact was, and how you would measure that impact. We also encourage you to do some self-reflection ahead of the interview so that you can share your growth aspirations clearly and reflect on past experiences.

Thank you to the Recruitment and Talent Acquisition teams for their input: Dana Biesterfeld, Ifie Onyema, Jack Andrews, Maren Marcelis, and Natascha Nihsen.

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