Applying to Crossover from Pakistan
By: Muhammad Mubashirullah Durrani
Tags: Pakistan, Crossoverccat, Ccat, Crossover

In this article, I want to tell you about my experience with applying to Crossover so you can gain a bit more insight that will help you in decision-making. A lot of people have written about their experience (plus videos on YT), some currently employed, others after their termination. My experience is not as extensive as theirs. In fact, it comprises of 1 week of investment.

I applied for the position of “Software Development Engineer (Graduate 2020/2021)”. The entrepreneurial aspect of the job description alured me.

I gave myself one week to prep for their CCAT test using 12-minute prep. I invested $29 and it was a good investment even if it didn’t help me achieve the 99% percentile required for this role. Should I have invested in the $49 actual test experience from crossoverccat? No, I don’t think so. I won’t even now. What do I mean? They let you take the test twice (very nice of them). I have given it once and despite an opportunity to still have a chance, I am calling quits while I am behind.

My advice to you is when you apply, check the score criteria for your position. You can do this by clicking on the take assessment. It will open an info prompt telling you what percentile you need to land in. If it is something like 6 stars, then realize this might not be something you need to bother with. Reaching the 85% percentile (A score of 35/50) is hard enough. Going all the way to 99% is not a good use of your time. Especially given how this company operates.

C aptain Obvious, thank you so much.

You’re welcome. Sometimes, understanding the obvious can be tricky.

What matters

Here is a short summary of the discussions you will find about the company. One group of people seem to be really vengeful of their experiences. The other is content. You read both and you are not sure who to believe. Your heart would want it to be true because if you are from a developing nation, then that is a good salary you’re being offered. But your heart knows deep down, something isn’t quite right. (Not all of us in the developing nations are concerned with a high salary. Somethings matters more to some of us.)

We know there is no such thing as free lunch. That is a fact. For those of us living in lands with limited opportunities, an opportunity to escape should be taken with skepticism as should all the fake gurus.

If success is to come in our lives individually, I think it will come from gradual improvements (The ethos behind Atomic Habits). Regarding growth for companies: capital, talent, and relations are what matter most in developing nations.

Going back to Crossover. They seem to have a high churn rate. Their glassdoor score is low. (So much for metrics) Most importantly however is their management approach. This is a crucial topic I want to discuss.

If you ever get a chance, read the book Drive by Daniel Pink. He talks about how companies are still following industrial age practices. Daniel shows the merit attained by adopting an understanding of the modern science of motivation. All that science is in stark contrast to a company that uses Bossware to monitor employees. This is not a place where you expect a concept like 20% time. Judging by this, I predict Crossover will not be a company known for innovation. Creative people don’t thrive in a “manufacturing assembly line” environment. (https://medium.com/@crossoverforwork/the-factory-model-enabling-massive-scale-across-business-functions-98b18ad574f8)

This article does not mention how focusing on one task gives rise to innovation. We know it makes the mind dull. I don’t need to get into sociology. The bottom line, Crossover should not be praised for revolutionizing work. They have modernized an old approach, one that has no place in a future where creativity is more important.

We’ll skip the discussion on their desire to attain the top 1% talent. If you are from the top 1%, my suggestion to you is to work for the tech giants or in a startup. For them to use the word ‘talent’ is misleading.

PS: In your prep for CCAT, you might be tempted to ask how is this relevant. I didn’t find any research citing its effectiveness. I only found a statement about 200 validity studies over a decade. No, I didn’t bother to dig deeper because the fact is, it won’t change your having to give this test. The impression I get is this test is being treated equivalent to a fitness test. Feels very narrow minded. I’ve wasted a week, hope you don’t waste as much time as I did. Do go through other people’s experiences. I am harsh because the role I applied to is creative in nature and I just found contradiction. All departments are suppose to be run differently. Every business needs to be run differently with different styles of leadership. Maybe the experiences I read are inaccurate or outdated. By the end of the day, I’ll not be advising my little brother to apply when he graduates.