# Software Engineer
**Role:** Software Engineer · **Level:** Software Engineer II
**Company:** [American Express](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/american-express)
**Difficulty:** Medium to Hard
**Salary:** US$100000 - US$130000
**Experience:** 2 - 5
**Timeline:** ~14 days
This interview process for a Software Engineer II at American Express is designed to assess a candidate's technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. It typically involves multiple rounds, starting with an initial screening and progressing to more in-depth technical and behavioral assessments.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/american-express/software-engineer-ii-software-engineer
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Aptitude
- Behavioral and Cultural Fit

## Questions asked

- Write a function to reverse a linked list.
- Design a system to handle real-time notifications for a large user base.
- Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult stakeholder.
- Explain the difference between a process and a thread.
- How would you optimize a slow database query?
- Describe a situation where you failed and what you learned from it.
- What are the trade-offs between using a relational database and a NoSQL database?
- How do you stay updated with new technologies?
- Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
- Describe your experience with cloud computing platforms.

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Thoroughly review fundamental computer science concepts, including data structures, algorithms, and complexity analysis.
- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or similar, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
- Understand core software design principles and patterns.
- Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, highlighting your contributions, challenges, and learnings.
- Research American Express's mission, values, and recent technological initiatives.
- Prepare STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) answers for common behavioral questions.
- Familiarize yourself with system design concepts, especially for scalable and distributed systems.
- Practice explaining technical concepts clearly and concisely.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Data Structures and Algorithms","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal). Practice implementing these and analyzing their time and space complexity. Cover Big O notation thoroughly.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms Fundamentals. Practice implementations and complexity analysis."}
- {"title":"System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into system design principles. Study topics like scalability, availability, reliability, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), caching, load balancing, and microservices. Practice designing common systems like a URL shortener or a social media feed.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: System Design Principles. Focus on scalability, databases, caching, and common system architectures."}
- {"title":"Behavioral Preparation","longDescription":"Week 5: Prepare for behavioral interviews. Review your resume and identify key experiences that demonstrate leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and resilience. Craft STAR method responses for common behavioral questions. Research American Express's values and culture.","shortDescription":"Week 5: Behavioral Interview Preparation. Craft STAR responses and research company values."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews and Refinement","longDescription":"Week 6: Mock interviews. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors to simulate the interview environment. Focus on receiving and incorporating feedback on both technical and behavioral aspects. Refine your communication and problem-solving explanations.","shortDescription":"Week 6: Mock Interviews and Refinement. Practice with others and incorporate feedback."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"New York","differences":{"tips":["Research common business challenges in this region.","Be prepared to discuss how your skills align with local industry needs."],"interviewFocus":["Adaptability to local market trends","Understanding of regional compliance and regulations"],"commonQuestions":["Tell me about a challenging project you worked on.","How do you handle tight deadlines?","Describe a time you disagreed with a team member."]}}
- {"location":"San Francisco","differences":{"tips":["Brush up on data structures and algorithms.","Be ready to discuss your experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure)."],"interviewFocus":["Proficiency in specific technologies prevalent in the tech hub","Experience with large-scale distributed systems"],"commonQuestions":["How do you approach debugging complex systems?","Can you explain the principles of object-oriented programming?","Describe a situation where you had to learn a new technology quickly."]}}
- {"location":"London","differences":{"tips":["Highlight your experience with collaborative tools and practices.","Be prepared to share examples of your problem-solving approach."],"interviewFocus":["Collaboration and teamwork skills","Understanding of software development lifecycle"],"commonQuestions":["How do you ensure code quality and maintainability?","What are your thoughts on agile development methodologies?","Tell me about a time you mentored a junior engineer."]}}

## Round 1: Recruiter Phone Screen
**Type:** Recruiter Screen · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Initial screening to assess basic qualifications and interest.
This initial screening call is conducted by a recruiter or hiring manager to assess your overall fit for the role and the company. They will review your resume, ask about your experience, and gauge your interest in American Express. It's also an opportunity for you to ask initial questions about the role and the company culture.
**Interviewers look for:** Logical thinking; Ability to translate requirements into code; Efficiency of the solution
**Evaluation criteria:** Problem-solving approach; Coding proficiency; Understanding of data structures and algorithms
**Common rejection reasons:** Poor communication of thought process.; Inability to write clean, working code.; Lack of understanding of fundamental algorithms.
## Questions

- Tell me about yourself and your background.
- Why are you interested in this role at American Express?
- What are your salary expectations?

## Preparation tips

- Be ready to provide a concise overview of your career history.
- Have specific examples of your accomplishments.
- Prepare questions about the role, team, and company culture.

## Round 2: Technical Coding Interview
**Type:** Technical Interview - Coding · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess coding skills with data structures and algorithms problems.
This round focuses on your core technical skills. You will be asked to solve one or two coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will assess your problem-solving approach, your ability to write clean and efficient code, and your understanding of time and space complexity.
**Interviewers look for:** Correctness of the solution; Efficiency of the solution; Clarity and readability of the code; Ability to handle edge cases
**Evaluation criteria:** Algorithm design; Coding implementation; Test case coverage; Complexity analysis
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to solve coding problems efficiently.; Poorly structured or incorrect code.; Lack of understanding of time/space complexity.
## Questions

- Given a binary tree, determine if it is a valid binary search tree.
- Find the kth smallest element in a sorted matrix.
- Implement a function to find the longest common prefix among an array of strings.

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
- Be prepared to explain your thought process step-by-step.
- Write clean, well-commented code.
- Consider edge cases and test your solution thoroughly.

## Round 3: System Design Interview
**Type:** Technical Interview - System Design · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess ability to design scalable and robust software systems.
This round evaluates your ability to design and architect software systems. You'll be presented with a high-level problem (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, or a rate limiter) and expected to discuss various aspects of the design, including data storage, APIs, scalability, and potential bottlenecks.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to design robust and scalable systems; Understanding of distributed systems concepts; Pragmatic approach to problem-solving; Clear communication of design choices
**Evaluation criteria:** System design approach; Scalability and performance considerations; Trade-off analysis; Database design; API design
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of understanding of system design principles.; Inability to scale solutions.; Poor trade-off analysis.
## Questions

- Design a system like Twitter's timeline.
- Design a distributed key-value store.
- How would you design a system to handle millions of concurrent users for a chat application?

## Preparation tips

- Study common system design patterns and architectures.
- Practice designing various systems, considering scalability and trade-offs.
- Be prepared to discuss databases, caching strategies, load balancing, and message queues.
- Clearly articulate your design choices and justify them.

## Round 4: Hiring Manager Interview
**Type:** Behavioral Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess behavioral competencies, teamwork, and cultural fit.
This interview focuses on your behavioral and soft skills. The hiring manager will ask questions designed to understand how you handle various workplace situations, your motivations, and how you collaborate with others. They will be looking for examples that demonstrate your alignment with American Express's culture and values.
**Interviewers look for:** Evidence of teamwork and collaboration; Resilience and ability to handle challenges; Alignment with American Express values; Self-awareness and ability to learn from experiences
**Evaluation criteria:** Behavioral competencies; Teamwork and collaboration; Problem-solving approach in past situations; Cultural fit; Motivation and career aspirations
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with company values.; Poor communication or interpersonal skills.; Inability to provide specific examples for behavioral questions.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult colleague.
- Describe a project where you faced a significant technical challenge and how you overcame it.
- How do you prioritize your work when you have multiple competing deadlines?
- What are your long-term career goals?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Reflect on your past experiences related to teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, and handling failure.
- Understand American Express's core values and be ready to discuss how you embody them.
- Be enthusiastic and demonstrate genuine interest in the role and company.