2 min lesson
The loop at a glance
Show why this lesson detail matters: "A paid, two-day in-person build with the team."
Step 1 of 3
Cursor evaluates a Design Engineer across six touchpoints and they are not weighted equally. One of them - a paid, two-day in-person build with the team - is where the actual yes or no gets made. Hold the whole shape in your head first, because each stage probes a different slice of the same question: can you ship craft at the seam of design and code from week one?
The order below is the typical sequence. Counts and exact framing shift by candidate and by which surface team you'd join, so if a recruiter describes something slightly different, believe the recruiter over this map.
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Advanced table
The Loop at a Glance
Interactive diagram. Step through it with the Next and Previous controls below, or Tab to a region to read its detail.
Step through each stage to see who evaluates you and how to prep. The trial is the load-bearing one.
- Stage
- Recruiter screen
- Evaluator persona
- Recruiter
- What it decides
- Specific motivation and basic role fit
- Stage
- Portfolio / craft review
- Evaluator persona
- Designer or Design Engineer
- What it decides
- Taste depth and the reasoning behind your craft
- Stage
- Technical screen
- Evaluator persona
- IC engineer
- What it decides
- Raw coding skill under a no-AI time box
- Stage
- FE build round
- Evaluator persona
- IC engineer / DE
- What it decides
- Clean, correct, polished component code
- Stage
- 2-day trial
- Evaluator persona
- The team
- What it decides
- Real shipping, collaboration, speed, passion
- Stage
- Values round
- Evaluator persona
- Founders / senior staff
- What it decides
- Ownership, truth-seeking, intensity fit
| Stage | Evaluator persona | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter screen | Recruiter | Specific motivation and basic role fit |
| Portfolio / craft review | Designer or Design Engineer | Taste depth and the reasoning behind your craft |
| Technical screen | IC engineer | Raw coding skill under a no-AI time box |
| FE build round | IC engineer / DE | Clean, correct, polished component code |
| 2-day trial | The team | Real shipping, collaboration, speed, passion |
| Values round | Founders / senior staff | Ownership, truth-seeking, intensity fit |
Order and counts are typical, not a contract. The trial is the load-bearing stage.