Engineering Hiring Process at Dust
Rémy-Christophe Schermesser
Building the Operating System for AI Agents that transforms how work gets done requires exceptional engineers. Here's what our hiring process looks like, and why.
We believe that a strong hiring process is the foundation of a strong team. At Dust, our recruitment approach is designed to identify engineers who don't just write code – they ship products that reshape enterprise workflows.
What is the engineering hiring process at Dust?
How we hire engineers at Dust
Our engineering process is built on a few core principles:
- Trust-based: We condense most of our evaluation into focused sessions rather than drawn-out assessments. If you make it through, we trust you completely from day one.
- Practical: We don't do algorithm puzzles or whiteboard gymnastics. We work together on real problems that mirror what you'd actually build at Dust.
- Collaborative: You'll meet multiple team members and work alongside them. We want you to see how we operate, and we want to see how you build.
- Fast: We aim to give you a decision within days, with detailed feedback regardless of the outcome.
- Interactive: At every step, we make time for your questions. This is a two-way conversation.
We've designed our process to respect your time while still giving both sides strong signals about fit.
From your first day at Dust, you're treated like any other team member – with trust and confidence. That means you can focus on learning and ramping up rather than proving yourself.
The specifics of the engineering process
Our process consists of five main stages:
- Recruiter Screen, 30 min. An initial conversation with our talent team to understand your background, career motivations, and what you're looking for in your next role. This is also your chance to learn about Dust's mission and ask initial questions about the company and role. We always leave time for your questions.
- Technical Screening (remote), 45 min. A design-focused technical interview with pair programming. We'll work through a problem like "Structured Chunking" together. The goal isn't perfection, we're looking for:
- Velocity: How quickly you move (accounting for interview stress)
- Communication: How well you explain your thinking and approach to problems
We want actual pair programming to see you in action. This serves as an early technical filter before investing everyone's time in further interviews. As always, we reserve time at the end for any questions you have. - System Design Exercise (live), 40 minutes. A whiteboard/design session focused on system architecture. You'll be given a brief 24 hours in advance. Typically it’s a problem related to managing API calls in a distributed system. The brief is intentionally light on details to avoid overthinking. During the session, you'll:
- Discuss system architecture approaches live
- Consider scalability and concurrency challenges
- Think through distributed system constraints
- Propose implementation strategies
We're interested in your approach to system design, problem decomposition, and technical reasoning—not detailed implementation or preparation of polished solutions. This exercise is best conducted in-person or with a shared whiteboard tool, as architectural discussions benefit from visual collaboration. We'll leave time for your questions about the problem, our stack, or anything else. - Cofounder Chat, 30-45 min. A conversation with either Stan and Gabriel to get to know you beyond your resume. We'll explore what drives you, your proudest achievements, and what you're looking for in your next chapter. You'll learn about Dust's mission, vision, and how we operate. This is very much a two-way conversation – we want you to leave with a clear sense of whether Dust is the right place for you. Plenty of time for questions throughout.
- Full-Day Onsite – the heart of our process. This is where both sides get real signal.
The Onsite Day
24 hours before you arrive, we'll share:
- Setup instructions for local development
- A description of what you could be building
Day structure (9am-6pm):
- Meet and greet (15 min)
- Dev setup (45 min) – Getting you configured to work in our code base
- Building (5+ hours) – The core of the day. You'll work on real tasks in our code base, shipping actual features or improvements
- Lunch with the team (1 hour) – Informal time to get to know people
- Presentation (30 min) – Show the team what you built
During the day, you'll be invited to a dedicated Slack channel where you can ask questions, collaborate with engineers, and experience our communication style firsthand. You might see responses like "strong ownership" or "see something, say something, do something" – this is our culture in action.
Throughout the day, you're encouraged to ask questions about the code base, our practices, the team, or anything else on your mind. The onsite is as much about you evaluating us as it is about us evaluating you.
What we're assessing
Beyond pure coding ability, we evaluate:
- Ownership: Can you shape direction and take initiative on a problem?
- Communication: Are you clear and effective, especially in writing?
- Product/System thinking: Do you balance technical excellence with user needs?
- Prioritization: How do you handle scope and navigate time constraints?
- Shipping: Can you actually deliver working software, not just discuss it?
This is why our onsite focuses on building real things rather than solving theoretical problems.
Our engineering values
The engineering team values these qualities in order of dependence:
- Dependability – Say what you do, do what you say, be great at it
- Velocity – Build fast, be an engine of speed for the rest of the team
- Leadership – Distort the world around you for the better
Note: Leadership cannot be "given" – it's organically built on top of great dependability and velocity.
We also talk about "80/20 and inverted 80/20": Strive for 80% of the value with 20% of the work in most situations. But when the work is high-risk or "trapdoory," deliberately invert that model and invest deeply.
What makes our process different?
We work with actual code. During the onsite, you're not writing on whiteboards or solving contrived problems. You're in our code base, with our tools, building real features. This gives us signal on your actual working style, and it gives you a realistic preview of what working at Dust feels like.
Progressive technical validation. Our process builds progressively: from hands-on coding in the technical screen, to architectural thinking in the system design exercise, to end-to-end shipping in the onsite. Each stage provides different signal while respecting your time.
We trust the process. If you successfully complete the onsite and we make an offer, we fully trust you from day one. You're empowered to own product cards and ship meaningful work immediately.
We optimize for clarity. During the process, you'll experience our direct communication culture. We believe transparency builds trust, which is why we're sharing this detailed breakdown of our hiring process.
It's genuinely two-way. At every stage, we make space for your questions. We want you to make an informed decision about joining Dust, and that requires transparency from us.
I'm a [X] engineer. Do you have a position for me?
We hire Software Engineers across all levels – from early career to Principal. We don't have strict quotas on seniority. Our level distribution emerges organically based on who joins, with one key constraint: we ensure adequate leadership support (senior engineers) for less experienced engineers to be set up for success.
More important than your specific tech background is your ability to learn, ship, and collaborate. If you are curious, our tech stack includes: TypeScript, React.js, Rust, Kubernetes, QDrant, and PostgreSQL, and more!
What about feedback?
We aim to provide a decision within 48 hours, with detailed feedback regardless of the outcome. We know interviewing is a big investment and you deserve to know where you stand quickly
We also welcome your feedback on our process. We're constantly iterating to make it better, fairer, and more signal-rich for both sides.
Are we hiring?
Absolutely 🚀.
We're building the AI operating system that transforms how work gets done. If you're excited about shipping products that reshape enterprise, and this process resonates with you, we'd love to meet you.
See you around! 👋
