First Contact:
I was on a job fair in Hamburg. At that point I have not been aware of AppNexus honestly. I talked to one of the colleagues over there and we had a really exciting and interesting conversation. Our conversation had a really nice flow and we both saw a lot of synergies between my previous experience and the requested skillsets. So, we both exchanged our contacts.
Follow Up:
I sent my application documents per mail on the same day. AppNexus replied fast (I think it was the same or the next day) and invited me to a telephone interview.
Phone Interview:
The phone interview was really smooth and enjoyable. It was like a friendly way of getting known with each other. Questions were mostly about my background and my motivation. There was also enough space for my questions about the company. All in all it was a very nice and open-minded conversation again.
Personal Job Interview:
After the phone interview, I received a few days later an invitation to a personal job interview in the Hamburg office. It was scheduled for about one week after the invitation (so very fast again here compared to other interview process I had before). The whole session was scheduled for 4x 45min interview (3 hours in total). Also, I received information who is going to interview me and a pdf with general information about AppNexus and the interview session. Each session had a specific target to be assessed. The whole process was very transparent. When I was there I was pleased to feel the culture and energy of this young and growing company. Everybody was very welcoming and passionate about his/her job. The time passed very fast and again I did not really have the feeling of being tested or "pressured". The meetings were structured very well. The conversations were really smooth, fluent, natural, interesting, friendly, open-minded and energetic. They also emphasized at the beginning that they see the whole application process two-sided meaning AppNexus also applies as an employer. They did a great job btw. During the interview I sometimes could not even wait to start working there.
Video Interview.
After the personal interview there was scheduled one more interview as one of the managers has been on a business trip. The video interview was scheduled I think 1,5 weeks after the personal session. I received right at the beginng a verbal agreement that they are going to make me an offer. The target was here again to get to know each other and as you can imagine: it was really nice again.
Follow Up & Negotiations:
After the process, I exchanged some mails with HR regarding compensation and conditions. The European HR is centralized in London. The mail exchange was really fast, accommodating and transparent. I received very quickly after the last video interview a competitive offer. I really cannot wait to start working there.
Summary:
AppNexus says on the website it hires for talent (not for specific job descriptions). They really mean it as they say. The whole process was very fast, professional, transparent, well-structured while being at the same time fun and interesting. It was a great experience and better than a lot of other interview processes I went through. Thumbs Up!
