Throughout the interview experience, we want you to have a clear picture of what it’s like working at 8th Light. And we want you to succeed at every step of the interview process.
What to Expect in the Interview
Our goal is to have candidates complete the interview process within one week, however, we can accelerate (or decelerate) based on your availability.
Introductory video chat with talent acquisition
At-home technical coding challenge
Pair programming interview
Architecture and system design for a hypothetical client
Consulting and culture interview
Introductory Video Chat with Talent Acquisition
This 30- to 45-minute video meeting will allow you to understand more about 8th Light’s culture, clients, and projects. As an introductory conversation with a member of Talent Acquisition, we’ll help you get acquainted with the expectations for our team members in their role, ensuring you feel aligned and motivated to succeed. There will be plenty of discussion time; feel free to ask questions.
At-Home Technical Coding Challenge
We understand that technical assessments can be overwhelming, so we aim to make this challenge clear and realistic. We encourage you to choose the language and tools you feel most comfortable with. This brief assessment evaluates:
Adherence to overall specifications
Tests that describe the requirements and protect against regressions
Design and structure of your code
Code that is well documented and works as described
Your thoughts on scalability
You should spend no more than an hour on the challenge, and submit the assignment within 36 hours of receipt.
Pair Programming Interview
The 90-minute virtual pair programming interview allows you to “bring your own environment” to work alongside two 8th Light senior or principal developers. Come prepared to code in the editor or IDE of your choice by sharing your screen and solve various problems presented.
The interview features a 55-minute pair programming session where you work in a command-line app, driven by unit tests. The goal is to complete the exercise, while incorporating test-driven design (TDD) practices and working collaboratively with the interviewers. Candidates can choose from the following languages: JavaScript/TypeScript, Ruby, Python, Java, Elixir, C#, Scala, Clojure, Swift, or Kotlin.
In the remaining 25 minutes, you’ll review code of a small web-based application, providing feedback and commentary along the way to the team. You’ll explain issues and identify aspects that prevent the code from being production-ready or overly buggy. Choose from the following languages: Ruby, Python, or TypeScript.
You must choose two different languages for these two segments, and you will be allotted time to ask questions to the interview team.
Architecture & System Design Interview
As consultants, clients often look to us for answers on how their systems should be built. Sometimes we make decisions unilaterally, sometimes we need to convince clients, and sometimes we need to work within their constraints.
In the 90-minute architecture and system design interview, you’ll role-play with two experienced 8th Light developers in a hypothetical client conversation. You’ll demonstrate your ability to be adaptable and to apply concepts and knowledge to help a hypothetical client identify the right approach. Expect to discuss the following:
Technology choices and trade-offs
Distributed Systems
Security
Scalability
Maintainability
Consulting & Culture Interview
During the final 60-minute consulting interview, you’ll showcase how you approach managing clients and team dynamics. A team of two senior leaders from 8th Light will focus on your project management ability and interpersonal skills to observe how you manage working with clients and teammates. We will be specifically interested in how you collaborate, include, mentor, and extend empathy to the people with whom you work.
Receiving an Offer
Once you successfully complete the interview process, our team gathers to discuss each stage carefully. As an employee-owned organization, our team’s agreement is critical to how we grow.
A member of our Talent Acquisition team will share offer details, seek feedback on the process, and share initial developmental opportunities for a successful career at 8th Light. Prior to accepting an offer, we invite and encourage you to meet with our HR Manager to discuss employee benefits and perks. In addition, we can arrange coffee chats with our team to help you gain additional insight before making a decision.
In the event you do not receive an offer, we invite you to reach out to our Talent Acquisition team for feedback on ways to progress toward a stronger candidacy in the future.
Reach Out & Learn More
Reach out directly to our recruiting team with questions or accommodations with your application by emailing recruiting@8thlight.com.
Join us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you sponsor my visa?
Unfortunately, we do not sponsor visas for prospective candidates. We ask that candidates have legal eligibility to work in the United States of America or the United Kingdom.
If I have applied previously, can I reapply?
Yes! Take some time, perfect your skills, then reach back out. We ask that candidates wait at least six months before reapplying.
What is the salary range for this position?
Salary details by market are included in most job postings. We also encourage you to request the salary expectations in the first interview and phone call with the Talent Acquisition team.
What perks and benefits do you offer?
We take pride in offering competitive perks and benefits that empower our team to do their best work while finding a comfortable and sustainable work-life balance. Learn more about our remote work policy, our annual development budget, annual leave/PTO policy, home office stipend, and more.
Do I need any special degrees or certifications to be considered for this position?
No. At 8th Light, we do not correlate credentials with a person’s likelihood for success in the role. We are more interested in the passion, perspective, and expertise that you bring to the role — whether it was learned in the classroom or you are self-taught.
What kind of languages do you use?
We're "language agnostic", which means we are generalists and polyglots who are comfortable jumping in and delivering idiomatic solutions in any tech stack. We work on Macs (or occasionally Linux) and typically deploy to the cloud, browser, or mobile devices. The top languages in use by our teams and clients are: JavaScript/TypeScript, Ruby, Java, Python, Elixir, C#, Swift, Kotlin, Clojure, and Scala.
How does project assignment work?
We have a staffing specialist who works to match skills and client needs. Prior to your start with the team, our staffing specialist will meet with you to learn more about your interests and goals to align them with the best opportunities in our roster.
