real interview stories, told over a cup of tea ♡
Interview Experiences
3935 interview stories from candidates at 857 companies: how each round went, what was asked and how it ended. Every company page links to practice questions in the same style.
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3935 results
- Zipline Software Engineer interview: Rust or C++20 take-home and automation panelZipline · Software Engineer · Take-home Project · Apr 2024
I entered the process through LinkedIn, then had a short recruiter call followed by a brief conversation with the hiring manager about my past experience. Next came a take-home assignment in either Rust or C++20, which took me a little over two hours. My impression was that they cared more about whether the solution worked than about polish such as code quality or tests. After that, I had a rough…
- Notion Labs Software Engineer interview with practical React workNotion Labs · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Mar 2024
My process started with a recruiter introduction. The technical part quickly made the experience feel practical rather than gimmicky. The first live screen lasted an hour and focused on React. The problem was broken into smaller steps, so I could build the result while explaining my approach. After that, I attended a virtual onsite with more technical rounds and hands-on work tied closely to day-…
- Five Rounds, All Behavioral QuestionsAmazon · Product Manager · Onsite · Jan 2024Offer
After one round with the hiring manager, I got the result the next business day: move forward to the virtual onsite. There was almost a month gap after that, so I had plenty of time to prepare. I split the 5 rounds across two days, and it was pure behavioral questions the whole way through. I remembered roughly some of the questions, so sharing them here. The first one was with the hiring manager…
- Karat Software Engineer: LeetCode-style coding under time pressureKarat · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jun 2023
My interview started with a classic skills screen: brief introductions and basic computer science questions, followed by the main coding portion in a live editor. The opening focused on fundamentals such as time and space complexity, and I remember the questions moving from easier concepts into harder problems. Once the coding round began, I worked through LeetCode-style questions. The first was…
- Oura Ring Software Engineer interview for a contract role with portfolio feedbackOura Ring · Software Engineer · Jun 2023
I went through a recruitment process for a contract role, and the team was unusually responsive. They welcomed my questions and gave specific answers instead of generic ones. They even offered feedback on my portfolio, which made the process feel constructive. The feedback was more specific than what I've seen from many other companies, and the conversations felt thoughtful. I didn't get an offer…
- Stubhub Software Engineer interview with no clear decisionStubhub · Software Engineer · Apr 2023
I didn't get much information from StubHub during the interview loop. After I completed the process, they didn't seem to communicate a clear decision either way. About two weeks later, I received a survey asking me to rate the interview. The experience left me uneasy. The interview itself wasn't especially brutal, but the recruiting process didn't feel appropriate for the time and effort it requi…
- Stubhub Software Engineer: 90-Minute CoderPad Interview Cut ShortStubhub · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Apr 2023
My process felt rough and uncomfortable from the beginning. I was put straight into a coding exercise on CoderPad with little introduction, and the session became stressful quickly. It was supposed to run for 90 minutes, but the interviewer ended it after about 30 minutes, even though I believed I had solved the problem. The interview atmosphere made things harder. There was a lot of outside nois…
- Circle Internet Financial Software Engineer, CodeSignal and Flask booking appCircle Internet Financial · Software Engineer · Online Assessment · Mar 2023Rejected
I went through a multi-stage technical process that felt difficult, and one version was held back by the quality of the interviews. I was told the pipeline included an online assessment, an HR interview, technical interviews with an engineering manager and senior engineer, another engineering manager interview from a different office, and finally a VP interview. Another account described a CodeSi…
- Headway Customer Success Engineer interview with an abrupt manager roundHeadway · Customer Success Engineer · HR Screen · Mar 2023
I was contacted through LinkedIn, and someone from the recruiting team arranged a recruiter screen. That interview was fairly normal, covering my work experience along with an overview of the company and role. Afterward, I moved straight to a hiring manager interview that felt very different. The hiring manager barely introduced themselves, didn't ask much about me, and instead went straight to a…
- Headway Software Engineer interview: withdrew after a delayed processHeadway · Software Engineer · Mar 2023Withdrew
I initially had an easier path into the process, but it became frustrating quickly. The recruiter seemed unprepared, and the timeline took too long to get moving. Eventually, I decided it wasn’t worth my time and withdrew to focus on other interviews. The process felt unprofessional to me. I didn’t like how long things dragged before anything substantial happened. Because I withdrew and didn’t co…
- Headway Backend Engineer interview: recruiter screen and unclear follow-upHeadway · Backend Engineer · Dec 2022
My process started with a quick recruiter screen focused on behavioral questions. We covered the usual background topics, along with how I’d troubleshoot technical issues when something breaks and how I’d explain a technical concept to someone without a technical background. I made it into the hiring process, but it ended without an offer. In one experience, the recruiter interaction had a good t…
- Remitly Software Engineer interview: DFS screen and four-interview virtual onsiteRemitly · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Nov 2022
I applied online and went straight to scheduling without a recruiter introduction. My first technical interview involved a simple DFS-style problem. I passed that round and was invited to a virtual onsite. The virtual onsite felt uneven. It included four interviews: two technical coding rounds, a manager round, and a product manager round. Some interviewers were engaged and seemed genuinely inter…
- Remitly Software Engineer interview: two coding interviews and values-based behavioral roundRemitly · Software Engineer · Nov 2022
After applying, I didn’t do anything especially elaborate up front. Everything took place online over Zoom, and the process focused heavily on values. The interviews seemed designed to assess how I’d show up, not just how I’d code. My interview day combined two technical coding interviews with a behavioral interview centered on the company’s core values. One interviewer gave me a clear framework…
- Remitly Software Engineer interview with a disputed coding solutionRemitly · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Oct 2022No response
After a recruiter reached out, I entered the process with a decent amount of momentum. I had one technical interview that combined Q&A with a whiteboard-style coding task. The conceptual part focused on DSA and time complexity. Even when the conversation became tense, I felt I understood what they were asking me to do. The process then moved into the loop. One technical interviewer kept insisting…
- Circle Internet Financial Software Engineer interview: stalled after coding screensCircle Internet Financial · Software Engineer · Online Assessment · Sep 2022
I applied for the Software Engineer role and got caught in a mid-process cycle of one or two online coding assessments, sometimes followed by a conversation, without a consistent path to later interviews. I was sent one or more timed coding challenges through CodeSignal and/or HackerRank, including HackerRank-style tasks. In a few cases, I had a recruiter conversation after the assessment, but it…
- Circle Internet Financial Software Engineer: CodeSignal, 5 to 7 hour take-home, and final interviewsCircle Internet Financial · Software Engineer · Online Assessment · Sep 2022
I went through a harder, test-heavy process for a Software Engineer role involving CodeSignal and longer take-home work. It ultimately didn't lead to an offer. The online assessment was proctored through CodeSignal and consisted of timed questions. In one case, I had to complete it within a fixed window and received a rejection shortly afterward. I also encountered take-home coding work described…
- Circle Internet Financial Software Engineer interview ending after CodeSignalCircle Internet Financial · Software Engineer · Online Assessment · Aug 2022
I interviewed for Software Engineer and went through only part of the process. The early assessments were the main focus, followed by either silence or no further interviews. The first step was an Online Assessment through CodeSignal. It was timed, and in one case there was an additional assessment. The questions weren’t strictly classic LeetCode-style. After the assessment, I either spoke briefl…
- Five Rounds, Three References, Then RejectedThe New York Times · Data Analyst · Onsite · Mar 2022Rejected
It's been 4 years since this interview without my even noticing, and along with wishing everyone a happy new year, I figured I'd share the general interview process for this company. I went through 5 rounds of interviews with this company in total, and the process was pretty drawn out. At the end they also wanted me to track down three references (a peer, a direct manager, and a manager I had col…
- Karat Software Engineer interview with three English and three coding questionsKarat · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jan 2022
My Karat process began with a structured sequence of questions that felt a little relentless. After the initial stages, I answered three English questions and then moved straight into three coding problems. The first coding prompt asked whether a solution met the requirements. I was then asked more focused computer science questions about time and space complexity. The other coding problems were…
- Karat Software Engineer interview with a moderate algorithm questionKarat · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Dec 2021
The interview started with a casual introduction from the interviewer, which made the conversation feel less cold. I then talked through my background, including my achievements, previous experiences, and how I’d handled challenges on earlier projects. It felt like that discussion was meant to provide context before the technical portion. Afterward, I worked through a moderate algorithm question.…
- Chainlink Labs Solutions Engineer interview: 90-minute HackerRank and 15+ hour take-homeChainlink Labs · Solutions Engineer · Online Assessment · Oct 2021
I started with a recruiter call that set the pace and guided me through the process. After that, I completed a HackerRank round that lasted about 90 minutes. It included multiple-choice questions, a straightforward DSA problem, and a language-specific API check. Next was a conversation with an engineering manager about cultural fit, followed by a hiring manager call that led to the next stage. I…
- Karat Software Engineer interview with learning materials before rejectionKarat · Software Engineer · Other · Oct 2021Rejected
I was surprised by how much Karat tried to include "learning" before making a final decision. What they called onboarding felt like an extension of the interview process. I studied their learning materials for a while and completed a couple of practice interviews, then still got rejected after about a week. The part that threw me off was that it didn't feel like optional preparation. It felt like…
- Chainlink Labs Software Engineer, positive team interviews and hiring concernsChainlink Labs · Software Engineer · Aug 2021Offer
The interviews with the actual team felt positive, which was the surprising part. My disappointment came from the hiring process overall. Despite the company’s public values, I perceived discriminatory practices in the way hiring was handled. That contrast made me feel that the recruitment process wasn’t aligned with what the organization claimed to stand for. Even though the interview atmosphere…
- Chainlink Labs Software Engineer interview with recruiter follow-upsChainlink Labs · Software Engineer · Online Assessment · Jul 2021No response
After a brief coding assessment, I had a pleasant conversation with a recruiter who said they were interested in moving me forward. They told me they'd reach out the following week to schedule the next interview, but I never heard back. I sent a couple of follow-up emails asking for an update, and still got no response. The interviews themselves weren't the issue. The silence and lack of professi…
- Airtable Software Engineer interview with live-coding trick questionsAirtable · Software Engineer · Technical Screen · Jun 2021
Recruiter outreach started the process, and the early conversation felt more like pressure to apply than an authentic screen. I then had a technical phone screen that felt like a live-coding trick problem. It seemed less focused on my actual experience and more focused on whether I noticed a specific inefficient behavior or used a particular "special term" they wanted to hear. The experience felt…
- Chainlink Labs Software Engineer interview for a UI-type roleChainlink Labs · Software Engineer · HR Screen · Jun 2021
My first step was an HR interview, and it felt smooth and pretty standard. I was told the next interviews would involve engineers and leads, with a test in the middle. The next challenge was an online coding task where I walked through my thinking and got through most of it. What threw me off was how the test was conducted and evaluated. I mentioned that I didn’t do well on interview calls, but I…
- Airtable Software Engineer take-home that took six hours or moreAirtable · Software Engineer · Take-home Project · Apr 2021
My process began with a call with a hiring manager, followed by a take-home assignment that took a very long time, six hours or more. After that, I went through an onsite that lasted six hours and included multiple rounds. There were coding and algorithm questions, design questions, a code review, and a culture-fit conversation with the hiring manager. The process felt manageable at first because…
- Chainlink Labs Software Engineer interview: a 12-minute call in a 45-minute slotChainlink Labs · Software Engineer · Mar 2021
The interview felt surprisingly short. I had been given a 45-minute slot, but the call lasted closer to 12 minutes, and the interviewer was very direct. They told me that only one person would receive the position and said I'd hear back in the middle of the following week. The process was straightforward and not stressful, but its brevity made it feel a bit opaque. Location: San Francisco, CA. Ov…
- Chainlink Labs Software Engineer interview: HackerRank test for a UI-focused roleChainlink Labs · Software Engineer · Online Assessment · Mar 2021
I received a HackerRank test shortly after applying. I don't remember seeing anything in writing, either in the recruiter's emails or before the HR screen, that clearly said it had to be completed in a specific language such as JavaScript. I had to adjust quickly and brush up on it. The bigger mismatch was between the test and what I thought I was interviewing for. Since the role was UI focused,…
- Airtable Software Engineer take-home assignment that took roughly eight hoursAirtable · Software Engineer · Take-home Project · Feb 2021
My recruiter call was followed by a take-home assignment that was supposed to take about four hours. The work didn’t feel close to that scope. I was expected to build a fairly substantial front-end library from scratch to support a complicated chart, something in the neighborhood of d3-style functionality. I spent roughly eight hours on it and still didn’t finish. After submitting it, I never rea…
