Software Engineer interview questions
5 questions asked in Software Engineer interviews, from job seekers and our own interviews, each read by us before publishing.
Phone or HR screen
What's a recent technology you learned, and how did you learn it?
Tip: Pick something real, say why you learned it, and show what you built with it.
Technical or skills round
How would you design a URL shortener?
Tip: Talk through requirements, the API, how you generate short codes, the database, caching for popular links, and how it scales. Ask clarifying questions first.
Tell me about the most difficult bug you have fixed.
Tip: Explain the symptom, how you narrowed it down (logs, reproducing it, bisecting), the root cause, and what you added so it would not come back, such as a test.
Hiring manager
How do you handle disagreement in a code review?
Tip: Focus on the code, not the person; explain your reasoning with examples; be open to being wrong; and agree on a team standard when it is a matter of style.
Assessment or case study
Solve a coding problem, then talk us through its time complexity.
Tip: Think out loud, start with a simple solution, then improve it. State the Big-O of your final answer and test it on edge cases before saying you are done.