Designing the AI-Proof Interview

At WorkOS, we pride ourselves on building tools that developers love — and that starts with hiring engineers who love solving hard problems together.

Our technical screen is designed with a single goal: evaluate how you think, not just what you can type. We care less about whether you can produce perfect syntax on the spot, and much more about how you approach complexity, reason about tradeoffs, and debug when things go sideways.

‍We design our tech screen this way because that’s how we actually work. AI is part of our day-to-day, but it’s not the engineer.‍

Why This Interview Is “AI-Proof”

Modern coding tools — from Copilot to Devin to Cursor Agent — are incredible accelerators. But they can't replace good engineering instincts. That’s why our interview focuses on:

• Problem-solving over memorization
• Communication and collaboration over speed
• Understanding systems, not just calling APIs

We want to see how you navigate ambiguity, test ideas, and work with a teammate (your interviewer!) to solve a real problem. Using your favorite tools is totally fine — but leaning on AI to do all the heavy lifting won’t get you far.

🛠️ The Interview Format

The interview is a single 60-minute working session led by 1-2 engineers. It’s designed to simulate what it’s like to collaborate on a real-world problem at WorkOS — not a a speedrun through obscure algorithm trivia.

⏰ Agenda

• Intros & Culture Check (~5 mins):
  
  • We’ll get to know each other a bit and confirm you’ve had time to review the prompt beforehand.
• Live Exercise (~50 mins):
  
  • This is a multi-stage problem-solving session where we’ll collaborate on a realistic backend challenge.
  • You’ll talk through your thinking as you go — we’re listening for how you approach problems, not whether you reach the final line of code.
• Follow-ups & Questions (~5 mins):
  
  • We may ask how you’d productionize your code, or what tradeoffs you considered.
  • Then it’s your turn to ask us anything.

🔍 What We’re Looking For

Our evaluation rubric covers three core competencies:

🧠 Technical Ability

• Do you think before you code?
• Can you organize your work into logical chunks?
• How do you design your DB schema?
• Do you handle errors thoughtfully, or just keep re-running until something sticks?

🧪 Debugging Skills

• Do you read and interpret error messages?
• Can you form hypotheses and test them?
• Do you stay calm under pressure or start flailing?

🗣️ Communication

• Can you explain your plan before implementing it?
• Do you ask questions that show what you’re thinking ahead?
• Would we want to pair with you on a tricky problem?

You don’t need to finish the exercise. Most people don’t. We’re more interested in how you work, not how far you get.

If you’re a builder who enjoys working through complex challenges with smart, supportive teammates, you’ll likely enjoy our technical screen. It’s designed to reflect how we work every day at WorkOS: collaboratively, thoughtfully, and with curiosity.

We’re not here to trick you. We’re here to understand you — and hopefully welcome you to the team.

‍Apply now: workos.com/careers‍