6 ms·

I applied to this company right at the beginning of there expansion. The person that interviewed me said he had been sleeping on couches for the last year or so

I applied to this company right at the beginning of there expansion. The person that interviewed me said he had been sleeping on couches for the last year or so, (around 2017) and working insane hours. They gave me a php coding test to implement some kind of pub/sub. I finished it. Had no real way of submitting it other than emailing it to the interviewer as a zip. The moment the interviewer told me they worked with a php stack. I asked why they'd chosen to go with php given that the product was so new they could've chosen any newer tech. stack (JavaScript framework) and probably been better off. The interviewer didn't really response to my question. The entire conversation with said person, was them talking at me for about 30 minutes. They said the company was going to try to pivot to developing some service surrounding their lock box service for the keys to get into people's houses for the dog walking. It seemed very "directionless" and gave me a very bad taste in my mouth. They never got back to me or anything. Which was fine by me since I wasn't going to pursue them any further.

sschueller 7y ago
Are they at least using a php framework like symfony or is it all spagetti?
- fantasticFerret 7y ago
  The interviewer never told me. I never asked.
- 100-xyz 7y ago
  I interviewed with them. Their tech stack is Laravel. The whole interview seemed flaky. Now glad I got rejected.
- tzs 7y ago
  Not using a PHP framework for PHP does not imply that it must be all spaghetti. There are programmers who can write clear, structured, maintainable code in straight PHP.
hoorayimhelping 7y ago
I had a similar experience in 2018. In fact, I think my application with them is still active, cause I also never heard back from them after my in person interview. They had me come in at noon, said they'd serve me lunch, then directed me to a galley kitchen where there were some leftovers from something that was served the day before. I kind of zoned out after that, cause I was hungry and also annoyed, but I remember being condescended to, everyone being late, and everyone seeming like they were in a huge hurry. Never heard a rejection or offer from them. My ex has our dog, I told her to stop using Wag as soon as possible. I'm not trusting a company that disorganized with my dog.
wolco 7y ago
A php stack is the right stack for 2017 or 2019 for a company like Wag. What would a javascript framework offer them? Their core product is connecting people and dogs. A php stack with laravel means they have a working website with authentication on day 1. What would a javascript framework offer them? Emailing tests or documents is very common during the interview process if the company is a startup. Offer them a github link with the code if you want to standout. Why apply without knowing the stack?
- danpalmer 7y ago
  > Offer them a github link with the code if you want to standout. Make sure it's a private GitHub repo, or you ask first. Many companies prefer their coding tests to not be published online. It happens, it's unavoidable, but companies can often get by with the same test for a while if people don't post them on GitHub too much.
- xnyan 7y ago
  Maybe I'm dumb - Can anyone tell me why PHP vs JS for a "generic" web application? \In 2019 there are far far far more developers with real experience developing in Javascript vs PHP. There are obviously a lot of other factors in considering the base dev language, but unless you can make a strong case for PHP vs JS, I'm picking JS every time because in the generic case they both meet my needs but a lot more devs work with JS vs PHP. This is not a moral argument, but rather a practical one. What is the practical argument for PHP?
  - cma 7y ago
    A PHP stack can maybe help you get acquired by Facebook, like a COBOL stack could ease an acquisition by an old insurance company.
  - kortilla 7y ago
    There are far fewer devs with server-side JavaScript experience. When it comes to server-side for small startups, the syntax is irrelevant compared to the maturity of the ecosystem. Look how much of the web is still Wordpress.
sedachv 7y ago
> Had no real way of submitting it other than emailing it to the interviewer as a zip. Being good at email (ex: not relying on GMail, knowing basic things about line length, top-posting, signature, having your own domain(s), using an actual email client instead of webmail crap, Sieve filters and mailing list management, actually knowing how mailing-list based development works and being able to use (git) patch/diff, bonus points for offline syncing, 2x bonus for using a text client (3x bonus for xmh), 10x bonus for running your own server(s)) is a way better indicator of technical competency than the ability to sign up for a GitHub account and click a few buttons. HTML email is a huge red flag for programmers.
- swatcoder 7y ago
  On the contrary, I wouldn’t _usually_ expect a lot of value from someone who did all that. My first intuitions would be that they’re likely reluctant to make practical compromises, slow to accept norms, and that they’re prone to chasing rabbits. They might have a role on a large team or for a very specific project, but there’s be some wariness for sure.
  - Can_Not 7y ago
    This is going to be a person who spends all day solving every problem my business doesn't have.
- dillonmckay 7y ago
  They are not applying for a job at sendgrid, or as an email implementation strategist.

sschueller 7y ago

Are they at least using a php framework like symfony or is it all spagetti?

fantasticFerret 7y ago
The interviewer never told me. I never asked.
100-xyz 7y ago
I interviewed with them. Their tech stack is Laravel. The whole interview seemed flaky. Now glad I got rejected.
tzs 7y ago
Not using a PHP framework for PHP does not imply that it must be all spaghetti. There are programmers who can write clear, structured, maintainable code in straight PHP.

hoorayimhelping 7y ago

I had a similar experience in 2018. In fact, I think my application with them is still active, cause I also never heard back from them after my in person interview. They had me come in at noon, said they'd serve me lunch, then directed me to a galley kitchen where there were some leftovers from something that was served the day before. I kind of zoned out after that, cause I was hungry and also annoyed, but I remember being condescended to, everyone being late, and everyone seeming like they were in a huge hurry. Never heard a rejection or offer from them. My ex has our dog, I told her to stop using Wag as soon as possible. I'm not trusting a company that disorganized with my dog.

wolco 7y ago

A php stack is the right stack for 2017 or 2019 for a company like Wag. What would a javascript framework offer them? Their core product is connecting people and dogs. A php stack with laravel means they have a working website with authentication on day 1. What would a javascript framework offer them? Emailing tests or documents is very common during the interview process if the company is a startup. Offer them a github link with the code if you want to standout. Why apply without knowing the stack?

danpalmer 7y ago
> Offer them a github link with the code if you want to standout. Make sure it's a private GitHub repo, or you ask first. Many companies prefer their coding tests to not be published online. It happens, it's unavoidable, but companies can often get by with the same test for a while if people don't post them on GitHub too much.
xnyan 7y ago
Maybe I'm dumb - Can anyone tell me why PHP vs JS for a "generic" web application? \In 2019 there are far far far more developers with real experience developing in Javascript vs PHP. There are obviously a lot of other factors in considering the base dev language, but unless you can make a strong case for PHP vs JS, I'm picking JS every time because in the generic case they both meet my needs but a lot more devs work with JS vs PHP. This is not a moral argument, but rather a practical one. What is the practical argument for PHP?
- cma 7y ago
  A PHP stack can maybe help you get acquired by Facebook, like a COBOL stack could ease an acquisition by an old insurance company.
- kortilla 7y ago
  There are far fewer devs with server-side JavaScript experience. When it comes to server-side for small startups, the syntax is irrelevant compared to the maturity of the ecosystem. Look how much of the web is still Wordpress.

sedachv 7y ago

> Had no real way of submitting it other than emailing it to the interviewer as a zip. Being good at email (ex: not relying on GMail, knowing basic things about line length, top-posting, signature, having your own domain(s), using an actual email client instead of webmail crap, Sieve filters and mailing list management, actually knowing how mailing-list based development works and being able to use (git) patch/diff, bonus points for offline syncing, 2x bonus for using a text client (3x bonus for xmh), 10x bonus for running your own server(s)) is a way better indicator of technical competency than the ability to sign up for a GitHub account and click a few buttons. HTML email is a huge red flag for programmers.

swatcoder 7y ago
On the contrary, I wouldn’t _usually_ expect a lot of value from someone who did all that. My first intuitions would be that they’re likely reluctant to make practical compromises, slow to accept norms, and that they’re prone to chasing rabbits. They might have a role on a large team or for a very specific project, but there’s be some wariness for sure.
- Can_Not 7y ago
  This is going to be a person who spends all day solving every problem my business doesn't have.
dillonmckay 7y ago
They are not applying for a job at sendgrid, or as an email implementation strategist.