# Software Engineer
**Role:** Software Engineer · **Level:** Mid Level Software Engineer
**Company:** [Akuna Capital](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/akuna-capital)
**Difficulty:** Medium to Hard
**Salary:** US$120000 - US$160000
**Experience:** 3 - 7
**Timeline:** ~14 days
Akuna Capital's interview process for a Mid-Level Software Engineer aims to assess a candidate's technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within a fast-paced trading environment. The process is designed to evaluate a candidate's ability to design, develop, and maintain high-performance software solutions.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/akuna-capital/mid-level-software-engineer-software-engineer
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Skills
- Communication & Collaboration
- Cultural Fit & Motivation

## Questions asked

- Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
- Implement a function to reverse a linked list.
- Design a system like Twitter's feed.
- How would you optimize a database query?
- Describe a situation where you had a conflict with a teammate and how you resolved it.
- What are the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases?
- Explain the concept of recursion with an example.
- How do you handle concurrency issues in multi-threaded applications?
- Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it.
- What is the difference between a process and a thread?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Review fundamental data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal).
- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or AlgoExpert, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
- Understand time and space complexity (Big O notation).
- Brush up on object-oriented programming principles and design patterns.
- Familiarize yourself with common operating system concepts and concurrency.
- Read about Akuna Capital's business and the technologies they use.
- Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, focusing on your contributions and technical challenges.
- Practice explaining your thought process out loud as you solve problems.
- Research common behavioral interview questions and prepare STAR method responses.
- Understand the basics of networking and distributed systems if applicable to the role.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Data Structures Fundamentals","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, Hash Tables) and basic algorithms (Sorting, Searching). Practice implementing these from scratch and analyze their time/space complexity. Solve 10-15 LeetCode Easy/Medium problems per week.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Basic Algorithms. Practice LeetCode Easy/Medium."}
- {"title":"Advanced Algorithms","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into more advanced data structures (Trees, Heaps, Graphs) and algorithms (Dynamic Programming, Greedy Algorithms, Graph Traversal). Focus on understanding problem patterns and applying appropriate techniques. Solve 10-15 LeetCode Medium/Hard problems per week.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Advanced Data Structures & Algorithms. Practice LeetCode Medium/Hard."}
- {"title":"System Design","longDescription":"Week 5: Concentrate on System Design and Scalability. Understand concepts like load balancing, caching, database design (SQL vs NoSQL), microservices, and message queues. Review common system design interview questions and practice designing scalable systems.","shortDescription":"Week 5: System Design & Scalability. Review common design patterns."}
- {"title":"Behavioral & Company Fit","longDescription":"Week 6: Prepare for Behavioral and Situational questions. Reflect on past experiences using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Prepare examples related to teamwork, problem-solving, handling failure, and leadership. Also, review any specific technologies mentioned in the job description.","shortDescription":"Week 6: Behavioral Questions & Company Research. Prepare STAR method answers."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Chicago","differences":{"tips":["Be prepared to discuss specific examples of optimizing code for performance.","Familiarize yourself with common data structures and algorithms used in quantitative finance.","Understand the challenges of building and maintaining low-latency systems.","Showcase your ability to work collaboratively in a team environment."],"interviewFocus":["Emphasis on practical application of data structures and algorithms in financial scenarios.","Understanding of distributed systems and concurrency relevant to high-frequency trading.","Problem-solving skills applied to real-time data processing and optimization."],"commonQuestions":["Discuss a challenging project you worked on and how you overcame obstacles.","How do you approach debugging complex systems?","Describe your experience with low-latency systems.","What are your thoughts on functional programming in a trading context?","How do you ensure code quality and maintainability in a production environment?"]}}
- {"location":"New York","differences":{"tips":["Highlight your experience with cloud platforms like AWS or Azure.","Be ready to discuss system design principles for scalability and fault tolerance.","Demonstrate your understanding of CI/CD pipelines and automated testing.","Showcase your ability to communicate technical concepts clearly."],"interviewFocus":["Assessment of experience with scalable architectures and cloud technologies.","Evaluation of problem-solving skills in the context of distributed systems.","Understanding of software development lifecycle and best practices."],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle large-scale data processing and analysis?","Describe your experience with cloud-based infrastructure and services.","What are your strategies for ensuring system reliability and scalability?","How do you stay updated with the latest technologies in software development?","Tell me about a time you had to influence a technical decision within a team."]}}

## Round 1: Technical Screen - DSA
**Type:** Data Structures and Algorithms Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess core DSA knowledge through coding problems.
This round focuses on assessing your core data structures and algorithms knowledge. You will be presented with coding problems that require you to implement solutions using appropriate data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will evaluate your ability to write clean, efficient, and correct code, as well as your understanding of time and space complexity. You'll be expected to explain your thought process throughout the problem-solving exercise.
**Interviewers look for:** Logical thinking.; Ability to break down complex problems.; Proficiency in coding.; Understanding of fundamental algorithms and data structures.
**Evaluation criteria:** Correctness of the solution.; Efficiency of the solution (time and space complexity).; Clarity of code and explanation.; Problem-solving approach.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate thought process.; Incorrect or inefficient algorithm implementation.; Poor understanding of time and space complexity.; Lack of clarity in explanations.
## Questions

- Given a binary tree, find its inorder traversal.
- Find the kth smallest element in a sorted matrix.
- Implement a queue using two stacks.

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, focusing on medium difficulty.
- Be prepared to explain your approach and justify your choice of data structures and algorithms.
- Write code on a whiteboard or shared editor, simulating the interview environment.
- Think out loud and communicate your thought process clearly.

## Round 2: System Design
**Type:** System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess system design and architectural skills.
This round evaluates your ability to design and architect complex software systems. You will be given a high-level problem (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, or a real-time analytics system) and asked to propose a solution. The focus is on your understanding of scalability, reliability, performance, and trade-offs involved in building large-scale systems.
**Interviewers look for:** System design thinking.; Ability to handle scale and complexity.; Knowledge of distributed systems.; Pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
**Evaluation criteria:** Scalability of the proposed design.; Robustness and fault tolerance.; Understanding of trade-offs.; Clarity and completeness of the design.; Consideration of various system components (databases, caching, load balancing).
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to design scalable and robust systems.; Lack of understanding of distributed systems concepts.; Poor trade-off analysis.; Not considering edge cases or failure scenarios.
## Questions

- Design a distributed caching system.
- Design a rate limiter.
- Design a system to count unique visitors to a website.

## Preparation tips

- Study common system design patterns and architectures.
- Practice designing various systems, considering aspects like data storage, APIs, caching, and load balancing.
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs between different design choices.
- Think about potential bottlenecks and failure points.

## Round 3: Behavioral & Fit
**Type:** Behavioral Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Assess behavioral competencies and cultural fit.
This round focuses on your behavioral and situational responses. You'll be asked questions about your past experiences, how you handle challenges, work in teams, and your motivations. The goal is to understand your personality, work ethic, and how well you would fit into Akuna Capital's culture. Prepare to provide specific examples using the STAR method.
**Interviewers look for:** Teamwork and collaboration skills.; Problem-solving approach in real-world scenarios.; Motivation and passion for software engineering.; Cultural alignment with Akuna Capital.
**Evaluation criteria:** Communication clarity.; Behavioral competencies (teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability).; Motivation and alignment with company values.; Self-awareness and reflection.
**Common rejection reasons:** Poor communication skills.; Lack of enthusiasm or interest.; Inability to provide specific examples.; Poor cultural fit.; Lack of self-awareness.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult colleague.
- Describe a project you are particularly proud of and your role in it.
- How do you stay updated with new technologies?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare examples for common behavioral questions (e.g., teamwork, conflict resolution, overcoming challenges, failures).
- Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
- Be honest and authentic in your responses.
- Show enthusiasm for the role and the company.