Entrepreneurship in Action

Facebook Interview Process

Facebook has developed a rigorous application process for prospective employees that ensures that the company gets top talent and finds people who fit the Facebook culture. For those interested in technical jobs, Facebook offers an online timed coding challenge, open to all, where the best performers automatically win a phone interview.

The phone interview is the first major step in the hiring process. It covers the candidate’s résumé and questions about previous work experiences, especially about the leadership roles they have held in the past. Facebook recruiters pay close attention to candidates who have been successful in previous positions and show a passion for the work they did on that job. The length of the résumé is not important at Facebook. What recruiters look for is demonstrated excellence and accomplishments. For some positions, applicants may go through second, third, and even fourth telephone interviews. Some of these telephone screenings can be quite lengthy and may involve collaborative online problem-solving exercises with the person conducting the interview.

Those who pass the telephone screening are flown to the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters for a series of on-site interviews with the hiring manager and several team members who are part of the work group. These interviews are designed to determine candidates’ skills and their fit with the Facebook’s unique culture. Team members ask many questions about the candidate’s experience working in teams and make note of how they interact with the team members doing the interview. If a candidate is applying for a technical position, he or she faces more skill-based challenges and a take-home test. The team assesses not only the candidate’s skills and abilities but also the approach they take to problem solving. Creative solutions are particularly important.

Candidates have the opportunity to offer suggestions on how they might make the Facebook product or user experience better. Interviewers want to see specific solutions and metrics to assess how the improvements are working.

Some of the typical questions asked in Facebook interviews are not that typical. Questions such as, “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?” are common. The goal of these questions is to see how each candidate responds when faced with questions that they could not prepare for in advance.

Facebook employees who are involved in the interview process then make a collective decision on the candidate’s fit for the position.

Interview teams expect applicants for nontechnical positions, such as business operations, sales, marketing, or analytics, to have done a great deal of research into Facebook before they arrive for the interview. “If you are going to work for Facebook tomorrow, what project do you want to work on?” was one question posed to a recent applicant for a market research position.

Facebook managers recognize that once they have made the decision to hire, the candidate also must make a decision about his or her fit with the company’s culture. “After the interview, I wasn’t sure if I would be happy working at Facebook,” says one software engineer candidate, “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.”

“We’re primarily looking for builders,” says Thomas Arnold, head of recruitment at Facebook, which prides itself on its entrepreneurial spirit. The company has maintained a flat organizational structure that is best for those who seek to be empowered in their jobs and are highly self-motivated.

Strong applicants also “just get the social space,” says Arnold, and interviewers confirm this by making sure that the candidate is an active Facebook user. If an applicant has not used his or her Facebook account for several weeks, recruiters take this is a sign that he or she will not be a good fit.

Answer the following questions:

What are the principles behind Facebook’s interview process? Do you think it is too complex? Explain.

What does the interview process tell you about Facebook’s culture? Explain.

Can Facebook’s interview process be applied in companies that are not technology based? How might it be applied to a company that makes golf clubs?

Why is hiring new employees so important for a small business? Why is it so difficult? How does the process at Facebook address some of the challenges that companies face when hiring?

Write a 1-2 page paper detailing the above questions, and be sure to cite your references.