One result of the change in the number of roles available is that companies are now able to extend their interview processes. This is because more candidates are willing to sign up for a long process, due to the lack of opportunities.
Digital PR agency Reboot Online was interested in the interview experience for candidates applying to the best companies in the world. They assessed the Glassdoor profiles of the 100 highest-ranking companies in the Forbes World’s Best Employers List . The experiences of more than 300,000 candidates were reported on the website and analyzed by Reboot to reveal which companies had the highest percentage of negative and positive experiences.
They also assessed the reviews to find out which companies had the most difficult interviews, based on their difficulty rating submitted by candidates.
Which companies have the hardest interview process?
| Company (Industry) | Average Difficulty Score (/5) |
|---|---|
| Google (IT Software & Services) | 3.4 |
| NVIDIA (Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering) | 3.2 |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings (Aerospace & Defense) | 3.2 |
| Salesforce (IT Software & Services) | 3.2 |
| Meta Platforms (IT Software & Services) | 3.2 |
| Microsoft (IT Software & Services) | 3.1 |
| Adobe (IT Software & Services) | 3.1 |
| Amazon (IT Software & Services) | 3.1 |
| Alibaba Group (IT Software & Services) | 3.1 |
| Apple (Transportation and Logistics) | 3.0 |
The most common trend observed by Reboot Online’s analysis of the most difficult interview processes is that difficult interviews do not always correlate with bad experiences. They discovered that although candidates may report a hard interview, they often report a lower percentage of negative experiences compared to other companies. This is likely because the companies in the top 10 are well-established and could come under scrutiny if their processes are too harsh or dismissive of rejected candidates.
Reboot Online found that candidates interviewing for Google / Alphabet report the highest difficulty score among the 100 best companies globally. Renowned for their challenging nature and hiring the best talent in tech, interviewees report an average difficulty score of 3.5 out of 5. The company lives up to its reputation for being tough to break into. Candidates note Google’s focus on complex problem-solving, critical thinking and a deep understanding of technical concepts.
Despite this high difficulty score, 67% of Google candidates still left the challenging interview feeling like it was positive. While just 13% described it as negative.
A handful of companies fall into second place with an average difficulty score of 3.2.
NVIDIA, the computer manufacturing corporation, Rolls-Royce Holdings, an aerospace company, Salesforce Inc., a software company, and Meta Platforms, a technology company, all report the second-highest score. Candidates recall interviews from all companies to be comprehensive and rigorous as they assess both technical proficiency and cultural fit across all difficult types of roles. Their competitive hiring processes attract top-tier candidates, allowing them to be more selective than others.
Interestingly, Salesforce and Rolls-Royce candidates both report high levels of positive interview experiences, with 80% and 75% of positive experiences, respectively. Salesforce have an in-depth blog post on their careers page about interviewing with the company, which helps candidates to understand the process. Features like this one help interviewees enter the interview and leave with a positive perception of the company - they feel like they’ve been helped out, rather than left in the dark.
Which companies have the worst interview processes?
While each candidate has reported their own individual experiences using the Glassdoor reviews, there are some key trends which can be identified and have emerged from each company's processes.
| Company (Industry) | Percentage of Negative Interviews |
|---|---|
| Spotify Technology (IT Software & Services) | 37% |
| Indeed (IT Software & Services) | 29% |
| PayPal (Banking and Financial Services) | 28% |
| Shopify (IT Software & Services) | 28% |
| Netflix (Media & Advertising) | 28% |
| Nintendo (Media & Advertising) | 26% |
| Logitech International (Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering) | 25% |
| Adobe (IT Software & Services) | 22% |
| Deutsche Telekom (Telecommunications Services, Cable Supplier) | 22% |
| Shiseido (Construction, Chemicals, Raw Materials) | 22% |
Reboot Online found that the company with the highest percentage of candidates reporting negative experiences is Spotify. Among the world’s top 100 employers, almost two in five report a bad experience interviewing at the company. Some of the complaints among candidates include recruiters ghosting them following an interview, generic rejection emails after their long process and even some interviewers arriving late.
Despite this high volume of complaints, 46% reported a positive experience; however, this is still the lowest among all of the top 100 companies. Interestingly, Spotify do have the lowest number of employees among Forbes’ ranking, so it's not surprising their hiring team may be under more stress than others.
Surprisingly, 29% of candidates recall negative interviews at Indeed. Despite being the world’s top job site, it ranks second overall for the worst interview experiences. With over 1,800 candidate reports on Glassdoor, Indeed is one of the four IT companies to feature in the top 10, potentially suggesting a wider industry issue.
In joint third place are PayPal, a multinational financial technology company; Shopify, an E-commerce company; and Netflix, a media company. These well-known companies follow closely, with 28% of candidates reporting negative interview experiences. Despite all three of these being known as highly desirable places to work, the fast-paced cultures don’t leave all candidates with a good impression, as almost one in three left unhappy with the interview process.
However, of these companies, PayPal candidates report the highest percentage of positive experiences at 52%. Shopify follows closely with 51% and Netflix with 49%.
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