The Eight Sleep Interview Guide
All the best athletes train before game day. This guide is here to help you prepare and maximize your chances of winning.
Introduction
At Eight Sleep, we hire top performers. Curious minds who move fast, aim high, and bring their full selves to work every day. We’re a team of builders, operators, and scientists. And if you’re reading this, chances are you’re thinking about applying. That’s exciting! We can’t wait to get to know you.
This guide is here to help you understand how our interview process works, what we look for in candidates, and how to prepare at each stage. Think of it as your ultimate guide to nailing the Eight Sleep interview process.
While some roles may have unique steps, this guide reflects the most common process for joining our team.
What we look for in candidates
We’re not just looking for what you’ve done. We’re looking for what you’re capable of. We value people who:
- Take ownership and have a bias toward action
- Communicate clearly and directly
- Thrive in fast-paced environments
- Learn quickly and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo
- Are motivated by building something meaningful with a tight-knit team
We also care about values: Do you take your work seriously? Do you push for high standards while staying kind? Are you excited to help others win? These things matter to us.
The Interview Process
Step 1: Application
1.1. Your Resume
Start with the basics: your resume should be clean, clear, and free of inconsistencies.
- Use active verbs, consistent formatting, and correct punctuation
- Keep it concise: 1 page per 10 years of experience is a good rule of thumb
- Double-check that your resume aligns with your LinkedIn profile
1.2 Assessment or Cover Letter
Depending on the role, you may be asked to complete one of the two:
- A short assessment: This is a quick cognitive or problem-solving test designed to highlight your potential. It helps us identify great candidates who may not be expert self-promoters.
- A short cover letter: If requested, we’ll ask questions like “Why do you want to join Eight Sleep?” or “What’s one achievement you’re most proud of?” We read every answer carefully. Don’t just write what you think we want to hear: dig deep and reflect.
Step 2: Interviews
You’ll typically go through 2–4 interviews before the take-home assignment. These are conversations with team members who want to learn more about your experience, judgment, and how you think.
Tips for success:
- Be concise but specific: use examples from your past work
- Show us how you think, not just what you know
- Come prepared with thoughtful questions. Do your research: skip the generic questions that Google can answer
This is also your chance to evaluate if we’re the right fit for you.
Step 3: Take-home assignment
Everyone who joins Eight Sleep completes a take-home assignment. The nature of the task depends on the role: software engineers might write code, marketers might design a campaign, and data folks might analyze and interpret simulated datasets.
Here’s our advice:
- Be data-driven and structured
- Think critically: question assumptions, clarify trade-offs
- Reflect: do you enjoy the exercise? That’s a strong signal you’ll enjoy the job
We won’t use your submission internally or externally. It remains confidential and is used only for the hiring process.
Step 4: Panel
If your take-home assignment is successful, you’ll be invited to a panel interview.
The panel simulates how we work at Eight Sleep. For example, many teams use memos as a preparation tool before meetings. So your panel might involve teammates reviewing your work asynchronously and leaving comments and questions on your deliverable to be discussed live.
This isn’t an interrogation. We want to collaborate, explore ideas together, and get a sense of how we’d work as teammates.
The best panels feel like a great tennis match: a thoughtful back-and-forth of ideas, questions, and insights. Don’t be afraid to say you are not sure of something or to challenge us respectfully. That’s how real teams operate.
Step 5: CEO interview
The final interview is a conversation with our CEO. It’s an opportunity to align on vision, values, and long-term goals. If you make it this far, we’ll send you some material to prepare for it.
Step 6: Reference checks
Prior to extending formal offers, you can expect to share professional references. We value reference checks and do not consider this step in the process a formality.
Feedback
We care deeply about feedback, both giving it and receiving it. However, due to the high number of applicants, we can’t always offer detailed feedback to early-stage candidates.
If you make it further into the process (e.g., the panel), we’ll aim to provide more specific input. And if you ever want to share feedback on our process, we’re all ears. Just reach out to your recruiter.
