I applied through university. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Alarm.com (Vienna, VA) in Oct 2012
Interview
I first heard of Alarm.com through my school's recruiting program. I spoke with an HR rep at the on-campus career fair, who was very enthusiastic about the company and encouraged me to submit my resume. I was fortunate that, upon applying, I had the opportunity to skip the first round of interviews and go straight to meeting with staff at Alarm.com's office in Vienna, VA. The company was extremely accommodating in scheduling and managing the trip down to D.C. for me - they covered the flight, put me up in a very nice hotel, and even reimbursed my meals and cab rides.
The overall interview process lasted all day (well, about 9am-3pm or so), but felt very natural and like I was having a conversation with each interviewer rather than being grilled on my resume or qualifications (although I do feel I addressed those areas very thoroughly with each person). Halfway through the day, I had the chance to go out to lunch with two current/former MDP associates and a fellow interviewee, and it was honestly the most fun I've ever had at a job interview - I knew immediately that I would fit in with Alarm.com's corporate culture and that my fellow co-workers would be people I would look forward to seeing every day.
A few days later, when I got the job offer (after receiving an email from the CEO no less, can you imagine that happening at a larger company?), I was ecstatic and knew that I would feel at home at Alarm.com.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Coming from a liberal arts background, I did find the one market sizing question I was asked ("How many school buses are there in the US?") a little bit difficult (mental math is not my favorite), but I had done a few case interview questions in the past so I at least knew how to approach it. The interviewer was very helpful in guiding me through the process, though, and I felt good about the experience overall.
I applied through university. I interviewed at Alarm.com in Jan 2021
Interview
It was pretty straightforward and questions were all pretty general - why Alarm.com, our products, your career goals, describe past experience.
Structure: 15 min phone screening with HR, 1:1 phone call (30-45 mins), final round (4 hrs, multiple panels, written assessment).
Overall very laidback process; all the interviewers were super friendly.
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Alarm.com
Interview
Very unprofessional. I applied to this position because Alarm.com came to my university and I was looking for a more management position verses a software engineering position. Fortunately Alarm.com was one of the few companies that did have this kind of opportunity. However, communication was horrible throughout the process (so far). Recruiter had reached out to me to schedule an initial phone interview. This took a week as he took forever to respond. Then when we did set up a time, he asked for a particular time which was difficult for me as I work full time on top of college. During the time of the call, the recruiter initially called me late and hung up on me after a couple of seconds. I try calling back a couple times and left voicemails but no response back. I emailed him as well but doesn't get back to me in a timely manner. Eventually he gets back to me and asks me to reschedule (all in a very demanding way as if I missed my phone interview). Out of the 50+ interviews/recruitment processes I have been involved, this was the most messy, unfriendly and rude one I have experienced. It would also be nice if they called me by my preferred name that I told them instead of butchering my name every time.
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Alarm.com (Washington, DC)
Interview
First round was an HR screen, second round is a more in depth interview with other MDP associates or MDP alumni, third round is a day long on sight interview with several associates.
First round was fairly simple and non-technical. Questions like "Tell me about this experience".
Second round was a bit more challenging as it included a deep dive into your resume. There were also 1-2 round(s) of brain teasers. It's important to note that they want to see you work through the brain teasers. There is less importance on getting the right answer and more importance on staying calm and suggesting different ideas.
Third round was difficult in that it was a full work day (~8 hours) of interviews. All the interviewers were extremely kind and interested in my background. In addition to the interviews there is also a written test that you will have one hour to complete, a presentation on your background and a case study. The test is fairly simple but challenging to do in the alloted time. A few sample questions listed below. The case study is done in conjunction with another candidate (so someone you are competing against) which can tend to be a bit awkward. The presentation is on the broader parts of your background and you will have ample time to prepare it.
Overall, it was a great experience - the people were all interesting and genuinely seemed to enjoy their experience working at Alarm. The case study, while a good idea in theory, felt a bit uncomfortable for all candidates involved.
