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02 / Hiring process
Five stages, and one of them decides it
5 stages from application to offer. Mission and values interview is reported to be the one that decides it.
5stages
01
Recruiter screen 30 to 45 minutes
Background, motivation, and a candid conversation about pace. Recruiters are reported to set expectations early that the process moves fast and that availability during the loop matters.
02
Technical screen live coding or a short take home
For technical roles, a coding exercise built to resemble real work rather than an abstract algorithms problem. Candidates report the problem itself, not just the solution, as the more memorable part.
03
Interview loop 3 to 5 interviews
Role specific technical or domain rounds, mixed with a behavioural interview. Depth in your stated area is reported to matter more than broad familiarity across many topics.
04
Mission and values interview a separate, scored stage
A dedicated conversation about why AI's trajectory matters to you, run separately from the technical loop. A strong technical performance is reported not to guarantee passing this stage, and a generic answer here is described as the most common way an otherwise strong loop ends.
05
Team match and offer days, not weeks, once approved
Turnaround from a passed loop to an offer is reported to be unusually fast. A role that was broadly scoped at application can still involve a short conversation to confirm team placement before the offer is finalised.
Ask before the interview: what will this round cover, who will I meet, and is there anything I should prepare?The question almost nobody asks
03 / Question library
Interview question practice library
Interviewers are reported to weigh technical depth, shipping speed, and a specific, considered view on AI's impact over a generic answer. The core set below applies whatever role you are interviewing for; each specialist role then adds the technical or domain rounds specific to it.
86questions
Asked in every interviewAsked in every OpenAI interview
01 Why do you want to work at OpenAI? Motivation Open guide
Find your angle. Opens most conversations and is scored on specificity as much as enthusiasm. Interviewers are listening for a reason tied to this employer's particular position, not a reason that would fit any AI company.
Build your answer
- Name something specific you have used or built. A model, an API you have integrated, or a paper you have actually read, not a general statement about AI being important.
- Connect it to your own trajectory. Why this particular thing matters given the work you have actually done, not a hypothetical future interest.
- Say what you want from the role, not what you would bring. What you hope to learn or build here, which is a different answer than why you are qualified.
Bring the evidence
One concrete detail about a product, model, or paper, tied to something real in your own work history.
What weakens it
AI is going to change everything and I want to be part of it. True of dozens of employers and answers nothing about this one.
Likely follow upWhat other companies are you interviewing with, and how does this compare?
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.02 What is your view on how AI's capabilities should be deployed over the next few years? Mission Open guide
Find your angle. Run as its own scored conversation rather than small talk. Interviewers are reported to weigh a specific, considered position over an answer that repeats the company's own public messaging back to them.
Build your answer
- State an actual position. Pick a real view, even a contestable one, rather than listing considerations without landing anywhere.
- Ground it in something you have seen or built. A specific deployment, incident, or piece of work that shaped that view.
- Acknowledge the strongest objection to your own position. Show you have argued with yourself about it, not just arrived at a comfortable answer.
Bring the evidence
A specific example or piece of work that shaped the view, not an abstract principle alone.
What weakens it
We need to balance innovation with safety. A sentence that could appear in any company's blog post and commits to nothing.
Likely follow upWhat would change your mind on that?
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.03 Tell me about a time you had to make a decision with less information than you wanted. Pace Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.04 Describe the most technically difficult problem you've solved in the last year. Craft Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.05 Tell me about a time you changed your mind after someone pushed back on your idea. Collaboration Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.06 Tell me about a project that failed. What would you do differently? Failure Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.07 Describe a time you were given a vague or underspecified problem. How did you scope it? Ambiguity Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.08 Tell me about a time you shipped something imperfect on purpose. Why was that the right call? Shipping Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.09 How would you explain a technical concept from your work to someone outside your field? Communication Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.10 Where do you personally draw the line on what AI systems should or shouldn't be able to do? Safety Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.11 Tell me about a disagreement with a teammate or manager that got heated. How did it resolve? Conflict Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.12 This role moves quickly and priorities can shift week to week. Tell me about a time you had to reprioritize on short notice. Pressure Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.Marketing7 to practise
7 questions
The questions this role actually gets asked
The core set above is asked whatever you applied for. These 7 are specific to Marketing, and they are usually what the decision turns on.
Create a free accountWhat you get
Less than the cost of one lunch, for a great deal more confidence.- Unlimited tailored interview preparation
- A massive database of actual questions and answer guides
Role specific
Pick your role and the list narrows to what that role tends to get asked.
A guide for every answer
What the question is testing, three steps to build your answer, and the evidence to bring.
Prepared, not guessing
You walk in knowing the shape of the round and which of your own stories fits it.
04 / In the news
Worth mentioning in the room
The strongest answer to why this company is something that happened last month.
3stories
Free account
What happened at this employer this month
Stories screened from everything published about this employer, chosen because they can be used in the room rather than because they are recent.
- Each one carries a line on how to use it in the answer
- Crime, recalls, litigation and share price moves are excluded outright
- Refreshed daily, so it is different the week of your interview
05 / The four values
What is actually being scored
Interviewers are reported to score candidates on technical depth, how fast you can actually ship, and whether your interest in AI's impact is specific rather than generic.
4stories
Technical craft
Depth in your specific area over broad familiarity. A real, close to production problem is described as a more common test than an abstract algorithm.
Bias to ship
A pragmatic trade off made under time pressure, not a theoretically perfect design. Speed is treated as a skill, not a shortcut taken under pressure.
Mission alignment
A specific, considered view on why AI's trajectory matters to you, not a restated version of the company's own mission page.
Low ego collaboration
A time you changed your mind in front of the team, or gave credit for an idea that was not originally yours.
06 / Before you apply
Where candidates lose it
Pro
Where candidates lose this before anyone meets them
The part of the process that eliminates most people is not the interview. It is what happens around it, and almost none of it is written down anywhere.
- The assessment answers that read as dishonest rather than confident
- What the availability question is really deciding
- The application detail that cannot be edited once submitted
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