Ten Things to Know Before Interviewing at Facebook

Are you eager to land a coveted position at Facebook? Join the club. If you’re lucky enough to get an interview with the social media giant, famous for its laid-back culture and superb perks, there are a few things you should know.

Glassdoor.com, a jobs and career community where people share information and opinions about their workplaces, combed through hundreds of employee reviews to find what Facebook employees and job candidates say about the interview experience.

“If you’re in the job market, no matter where you interview, you want to be prepared as possible so that you can put your best foot forward,” says Glassdoor spokesperson Samantha Zupan. “Getting insights into specific companies, like Facebook, can help you find out what it’s like to interview at a company.”

Here are 10 things job seekers should know about Facebook before the interview:

• Let your passion for the job come through. This is essential for an interview at any company, but a Facebook IT analyst candidate said it’s particularly important at Facebook that you express your passion for the everyday tasks and responsibilities that the job requires. How do you do this? Talk enthusiastically about your goals, your accomplishments and any contributions you made to a former employer.

• Make time for multiple, lengthy interviews. A Facebook operations engineer candidate said: “I had a quick screening phone interview with the recruiter, before having two technical phone interviews, where we shared a collaborative text document so that they could see what I typed. Each of the two interviews lasted about 45 to 60 minutes. Finally, I had a somewhat shorter (30 minute) management interview.”  “Multiple interviews can give you a chance to interview with a mix of people who you may be working with including a recruiter, an H.R. person, various team members, top executives and in some cases the CEO,” Zupan says. “While it can be tiring to go through interview after interview, it’s a good opportunity for a candidate to interview the company to determine if the job opportunity is going to be a good fit.”

• Be prepared to discuss how you’ve worked well in a team environment. A Facebook user operations analyst candidate pointed out: “The questions consisted largely of my experiences working on a team, what I thought I brought to teams, what to do if a team member is not participating, etcetera.” Before your interview, think about specific instances where you thrived as a team member or team leader. Also think about the challenges of team projects, and how you would resolve them.

• Don’t expect everything to go flawlessly during the interview. A Facebook Human Resources candidate said there was general confusion as to what the essential responsibilities of the actual role were going to be. “I left thinking their recruiting and interviewing process could sure use some refinement,” the candidate wrote. “The important lesson here is to remember to think about more than your responses to interview questions,” Zupan says. “You should also be thinking about the entire interview experience. For example, consider what the interview experience says about the company culture, the work environment and workplace relationships.”

• Think about what you would do to improve Facebook. A Facebook product marketing candidate wrote: “The interviews typically involved them asking me questions about issues Facebook was facing, then turning my answer into a case around how to improve that. Definitely think about metrics before heading to your interview,” the candidate suggested.

• Consider if the company culture is a good fit for you. A Facebook senior technical recruiter candidate noted that the Facebook office he or she interviewed at was open and lively; yet “I could see where it could be somewhat distracting,” the candidate wrote. “Remember that companies and jobs are not one size fits all,” Zupan says. “Some people like a structured work environment, whereas others may thrive in a more casual environment.” Another way to determine if the company is a good fit is to meet your would-be colleagues and bosses. A Facebook software engineer candidate said: “After the interview, I wasn’t sure if I would be happy working at Facebook so they let me come back and speak with my would-be manager and director, as well as some coworkers, so I could make a good decision.”

• Know the appropriate interview attire. You may learn from the company’s website that the culture is laid back and informal—but that doesn’t mean you should sport sweats to the interview. A Facebook user operations analyst candidate suggested that you wear “business professional” attire, even though the interviewer will most likely be in jeans and a T-shirt. “Depending on the job and the company, there can be some wiggle room in terms of how professionally you dress,” Zupan says. “But I suggest veering on the safe side and dressing up for an interview – it’s your opportunity to present yourself in the best light possible.”

• Be prepared for tough (or even odd) interview questions. Facebook candidates were asked questions like: “How would add new Facebook members to the database of members, and code their relationships to others in the database?” “If you were an animal what kind would you be and why?” “What is the difference between Facebook ads and Google Ads?” “Should Facebook be available in China?” and “What do you see as Facebook’s biggest challenge in the next five years?” There is no real way to prepare for such questions—but remember that the interviewer is assessing your thought process and how you perform under pressure. Stay calm and take your time answering the tough questions.

• Get the inside scoop from someone who works there. See if you have an inside connection at the company; someone who can tell you what it’s like to work and interview at the company. How? Spread the word that you’re interested in working at Facebook, search on sites like LinkedIn to find connections, or sign in to Glassdoor using your Facebook account to see which of your friends (or friends of friends) have a connection to the company, using its new “Inside Connections” tool.

• Be prepared to sign a non-disclosure agreement. A Facebook software engineer candidate wrote on the Glassdoor site that the firm had asked him to bring a signed copy of the non-disclosure agreement to the interview. “Candidates shouldn’t be scared away by NDAs, but it is important to read the terms of the agreement carefully so you know what a company is asking,” Zupan says.