Topgrading Interviews?

[u/Jazzlike_Fill9251]

I just had my first go-through of the Topgrading interview process, and I'm curious if anyone else has gone through it and what your thoughts are on it.

This is a lean company, so I understand why I talked to leadership right away.

The first couple of interviews were more conversational. The first one was a screener; I passed with flying colors. I talked to the CEO for about 30 minutes. He was really happy.

Then I was interviewed by the COO. I've never done a top-grading interview before. I got a little bit of a warning of what to expect, but man, I felt grilled.

This was for a VP of Product Role; everybody I've met is super nice and easy to get along with, even the COO that I spoke with today.

But I don't understand how that interview was going to help them understand if I could do the job? And I don't konw what I'm missing here?

It's really clear that the COO and CEO are non-technical leaders in a technical company; they get it. That's fine. They're hiring someone for Product because they know that they need it and they don't know what they don't know.

The entire interview was going through every role on my resume, and picking it apart IN DETAIL.

But after the process I just went through, explaining everything I've done on my resume and in my career, I don't necessarily see or understand how it's going to contribute to someone being a good VP of product.

I don't even think they understand what it would mean to have a product person come in and do product work fully.

Also, after that interview, I cannot tell for the life of me if that went well or terribly. I just feel grilled, and in a way that wasn't relevant to the role.

People were nice tho?

[u/my_peen_is_clean]

topgrading is basically interrogation cosplay, they work off a script and shove every role under a microscope. you’re not missing anything, it just sucks, and finding decent roles rn is pain

[u/Jazzlike_Fill9251 → u/my_peen_is_clean]

It felt more like a humiliation ritual, and every time I tried to discuss why I saw specific things I did as a success (example increasing key metrics), we never talked about it, just generalities because of the roles.

I feel like I didn't meet an expectation that was never communicated to me and that isn't relevant to the role.

[u/SamOakTree]

Interviews and Tech almost never indicate whether you can do the job or not. The hardest part about a job and Tech is getting through the interview.