Headway interview questions

Showing 1–11 of 11 results

• Behavioral: Deciding With Limited Data, a Process Built With AI, Spec-Driven DeliveryMedium

  A behavioral screen with three prompts: a decision made with limited data, a process you implemented with AI, and a project delivered with minimal manual effort through spec-driven development. It tests judgment under uncertainty, verification of AI output, and turning requirements into a specification that drives the work.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerBehavioral & LeadershipTechnical Screen
• Build a Dual Fixed-Window Rate-Limiting MiddlewareMedium

  Tests your ability to design and implement a thread-safe, dual fixed-window rate limiter and integrate it cleanly as HTTP middleware in an asynchronous Python framework.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnsite
• Debug a Stale Insurance Eligibility StatusMedium

  Tests your ability to resolve data staleness and synchronization bugs between denormalized cache records and immutable event snapshots, while establishing clear domain invariants and handling out-of-order writes.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnsite
• Debug and extend obstacle-run statistics classesMedium

  This question evaluates object-oriented design, debugging, algorithmic reasoning, and probabilistic simulation competencies by requiring fixes to class behavior, implementation of aggregate statistics, and a Monte Carlo-based probability estimator.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Design a Rental Search and Booking Platform from Startup to ScaleMedium

  Design a short-term rental search and booking system, balancing eventual consistency in search discovery with strict consistency during reservations and checkout.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerSystem DesignTechnical Screen
• Design a Shopping Cart Service That Keeps Inventory Consistent Under ConcurrencyMedium

  Design the backend for an online store's shopping cart, with the focus on inventory consistency: when stock is reserved, how two shoppers racing for the last unit are resolved, and how abandoned holds are released. It tests data modeling, concurrency control, checkout failure handling and contention on popular items.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerSystem DesignTechnical Screen
• Explain a Challenging Project, Influence, and MentorshipMedium

  This question assesses a candidate's ability to articulate complex professional narratives, specifically focusing on technical leadership, conflict resolution, and the cultivation of junior talent.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerBehavioral & LeadershipTechnical Screen
• Generate Every Letter String a Phone Keypad Digit Sequence Can SpellMedium

  Given a string of digits from 2 to 9, return every letter string those digits can spell on a standard phone keypad, in lexicographic order. It tests systematic enumeration of combinations, keys that carry four letters, and producing a deterministic output order.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Handle traffic spikes and estimate server capacityMedium

  This question evaluates a candidate's competency in performance troubleshooting, capacity planning, and scalable system architecture, focusing on diagnosing overload causes and quantifying infrastructure needs.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerSystem DesignTechnical Screen
• Implement Journey Counter and Speeder DetectorHard

  This problem tests your ability to process time-series event data by grouping related actions, managing state across sequences, and performing geometric or threshold-based calculations.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Implement Layered Endpoint and Global Rate LimitsMedium

  This problem tests your ability to design a thread-safe, memory-efficient rate limiter that manages hierarchical quotas using a rolling window mechanism.

  HeadwaySoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsTechnical Screen