Interview guides
Software engineer interview guides for top tech companies
Every company runs its loop a little differently. See the rounds, the questions candidates report and how to prepare, then practice the real thing.
Pick a company.
Amazon interview
Amazon hires engineers who can code well and show its Leadership Principles in real stories. Every round asks about both. Here is how the process usually runs, the questions candidates report, and how to practice for it.
Steps: Online assessment, Phone screen, The loop, Bar Raiser.
Apple interview
Apple interviews are run by the team you would join. That means the questions go deep into that team’s work, and every team is a bit different. Here is what candidates commonly report and how to prepare.
Steps: Recruiter call, Technical screen, Onsite.
Google interview
Google wants to see how you think. Interviewers care about clear reasoning, good tradeoffs and clean code more than a perfect first answer. Here is how the process usually runs and how to practice for it.
Steps: Recruiter screen, Technical phone screen, Onsite, Hiring committee and team match.
Meta interview
Meta interviews move fast. Coding rounds often ask for two problems in 45 minutes, and design rounds expect you to set your own numbers. Meta has also started to allow an AI assistant in some coding rounds. Here is what to expect and how to practice.
Steps: Recruiter screen, Technical screen, Onsite, AI-assisted coding.
Microsoft interview
Microsoft loops mix coding, design and questions about how you learn and work with others. Its culture is built on a growth mindset, so expect to talk about mistakes and what you changed after them.
Steps: Recruiter screen, Technical screen, The loop, Final interview.
Uber interview
Uber runs real-time systems: maps, matching riders with drivers, prices and payments. Its design questions follow that work, and its coding rounds are often one hard problem. Here is what candidates report and how to prepare.
Steps: Recruiter screen, Coding screen, Onsite, Collaboration and leadership.
OpenAI interview
OpenAI interviews feel closer to real work than to puzzle solving. Coding rounds ask you to build something that works, and one round digs deep into a project you led. Here is what candidates commonly report and how to prepare.
Steps: Recruiter call, Technical screen, Onsite, Project deep dive.
Anthropic interview
Anthropic tests two things hard: practical coding and its values. Candidates say the values round is the one most people fail, because rehearsed answers do not hold up. Here is what candidates commonly report and how to prepare.
Steps: Recruiter call, Online coding test, Hiring manager call, Interview loop.
Nvidia interview
At Nvidia the hiring manager shapes the interview, so two people at the same level can get different rounds. Most loops go deep on your own area, and many teams ask about C++, memory and threads. Here is what candidates commonly report.
Steps: Recruiter screen, Technical screens, Hiring manager call, Onsite.
Databricks interview
Databricks builds data and AI systems that run at huge scale, and its interviews follow that work. Expect several coding rounds with follow-ups and design questions about data systems. Here is what candidates commonly report.
Steps: Recruiter screen, Technical screen, Onsite, Hiring manager round.
Stripe interview
Stripe interviews look like the job. You fix a bug in a real codebase, build against an API from its docs and design a system. Classic puzzles are rare. Here is what candidates commonly report and how to prepare.
Steps: Recruiter screen, Technical screen, Bug squash, Integration, System design and manager round.
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