Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerSenior Software Engineer 2Hard

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for the Senior Software Engineer 2 role at Akamai. It evaluates technical proficiency, problem-solving skills, system design capabilities, and cultural fit within the company.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·5 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$150000 - US$200000

Interview time·225 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical depth and breadth in relevant areas (e.g., distributed systems, networking, algorithms).
  • Problem-solving approach and analytical skills.
  • System design and architectural thinking.
  • Coding proficiency and best practices.
  • Communication and collaboration skills.
  • Leadership potential and mentorship capabilities.
  • Cultural alignment with Akamai's values.

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Thoroughly review data structures and algorithms, focusing on efficiency and trade-offs.
  2. Study distributed systems concepts, including consensus, replication, consistency models, and fault tolerance.
  3. Understand system design principles for scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
  4. Brush up on networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, HTTP, DNS).
  5. Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, highlighting your contributions and technical decisions.
  6. Practice coding problems, aiming for clean, efficient, and well-tested solutions.
  7. Research Akamai's products, services, and company culture.
  8. Prepare behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 05 phases

01 / 05
01

Phase 01 of 05

Data Structures & Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: DSA fundamentals and practice (medium/hard).

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, heaps, sorting, searching, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Practice problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Design a distributed caching system.
  • How would you implement a rate limiter for an API?
  • Explain the trade-offs between different database types for a high-traffic web application.
  • Describe a time you had to debug a production issue in a distributed system.
  • How do you ensure data consistency across multiple services?
  • What are the challenges of building and operating a global CDN?
  • Tell me about a time you disagreed with a technical decision and how you handled it.
  • How do you mentor junior engineers?
  • What are your thoughts on microservices vs. monolithic architectures?
  • How would you design a system to handle billions of requests per day?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

US (e.g., Cambridge, MA; San Jose, CA)

Interview focus

Deep dive into distributed systems and cloud-native architectures.Emphasis on leadership and mentorship experience.Understanding of Akamai's specific technologies and market position.

Common questions

  • Discuss a complex technical challenge you faced and how you overcame it.
  • How do you approach designing a scalable and reliable distributed system?
  • Describe a time you had to mentor junior engineers. What was your approach?
  • What are your thoughts on the latest trends in cloud computing and their impact on Akamai's business?

Tips

  • Research Akamai's core products and services, especially those relevant to the specific office location (e.g., CDN, security, edge computing).
  • Be prepared to discuss your contributions to open-source projects if applicable.
  • Highlight experience with large-scale production environments.
  • Understand the local tech ecosystem and how Akamai fits into it.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

DSA

Coding questions at Akamai.

Frequently reported on Akamai loops

View all at Akamai

Other guides

More at Akamai.