# Engineer **Role:** Software Engineer · **Level:** P40 **Company:** [Atlassian](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/atlassian) **Difficulty:** Medium to Hard **Salary:** US$120000 - US$160000 **Experience:** 4 - 8 **Timeline:** ~14 days The interview process for a Software Engineer at Atlassian for the P40 level is a comprehensive evaluation designed to assess technical proficiency, problem-solving skills, collaboration abilities, and cultural fit. It typically involves multiple rounds, including technical interviews, a system design interview, and behavioral interviews, often culminating in a hiring manager discussion. The process aims to identify candidates who can contribute effectively to Atlassian's innovative and collaborative environment. Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/atlassian/p40-software-engineer --- ## Overall evaluation - Technical Proficiency - Problem-Solving Skills - System Design - Communication and Collaboration - Cultural Fit and Motivation ## Questions asked - Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult technical challenge. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome? - Describe a project you are particularly proud of. What was your role, and what made it successful? - How do you approach designing a scalable and reliable system for [specific problem, e.g., a real-time notification service]? - What are your strengths and weaknesses as a software engineer? - How do you handle disagreements within a team regarding technical decisions? - Explain the concept of [specific technical concept, e.g., eventual consistency, CAP theorem, ACID properties]. - How do you ensure the quality and testability of your code? - Describe a situation where you had to learn a new technology quickly. How did you go about it? - What are your career aspirations, and how does this role at Atlassian fit into them? - How do you stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in software engineering? ## Preparation tips ### lists - Review core computer science fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and databases. - Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or Coderbyte, focusing on medium to hard difficulty. - Study system design principles and common architectural patterns (e.g., microservices, RESTful APIs, caching, load balancing). - Prepare for behavioral questions by reflecting on your past experiences using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). - Research Atlassian's products, values, and recent news to understand their business and culture. - Understand the specific technologies and programming languages mentioned in the job description. - Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company culture. ### studyPlan - {"title":"Data Structures and Algorithms","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, sorting, searching, and dynamic programming. Practice implementing these structures and algorithms and analyze their time and space complexity. Aim for 2-3 coding problems per day.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: DSA fundamentals and practice (2-3 problems/day)."} - {"title":"System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into System Design. Study concepts like scalability, availability, reliability, consistency, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), caching strategies, load balancing, message queues, and API design. Review common system design interview questions and practice designing systems like Twitter feed, URL shortener, or a distributed cache.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: System Design concepts and practice."} - {"title":"Behavioral and Cultural Fit","longDescription":"Week 5: Prepare for Behavioral and Situational Questions. Reflect on your career experiences and prepare stories using the STAR method for common questions related to teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, failure, and success. Also, research Atlassian's values and prepare examples that align with them.","shortDescription":"Week 5: Behavioral questions (STAR method) and Atlassian values."} - {"title":"Mock Interviews and Final Preparation","longDescription":"Week 6: Mock Interviews and Review. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors to simulate the interview environment. Focus on receiving and incorporating feedback. Review weak areas identified during practice and mock interviews. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers.","shortDescription":"Week 6: Mock interviews, feedback, and final review."} ## Location differences - {"location":"Sydney, Australia","differences":{"tips":["Familiarize yourself with the specific cloud services used by the team in this region.","Prepare examples demonstrating experience with high-availability and fault-tolerant systems.","Research Atlassian's presence and projects in the specific region.","Be ready to discuss your contributions to open-source projects if applicable."],"interviewFocus":["Deep dive into distributed systems and cloud-native architectures.","Emphasis on experience with large-scale data processing and management.","Assessment of leadership potential and experience in driving technical initiatives.","Understanding of specific cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) relevant to the team's stack."],"commonQuestions":["Describe a challenging technical problem you solved at scale.","How do you approach debugging a complex distributed system?","Tell me about a time you had to mentor a junior engineer.","What are your thoughts on the latest trends in cloud computing (e.g., serverless, microservices)?","How do you ensure the quality and reliability of your code in a production environment?"]}} - {"location":"Austin, USA","differences":{"tips":["Highlight your experience with agile development and continuous integration/delivery.","Prepare examples of successful collaboration and communication with product managers and designers.","Be ready to discuss your understanding of user-centric design principles.","Showcase your adaptability and willingness to learn new technologies."],"interviewFocus":["Focus on agile methodologies and experience in fast-paced development cycles.","Assessment of collaboration skills and ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.","Evaluation of problem-solving approaches in a dynamic product development context.","Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices."],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle conflicting priorities from different stakeholders?","Describe a situation where you had to influence a team to adopt a new technology.","What are your strategies for maintaining code quality in a fast-paced environment?","How do you stay updated with new programming languages and frameworks?","Tell me about a project where you had to optimize performance significantly."]}} - {"location":"London, UK","differences":{"tips":["Brush up on microservices patterns and best practices.","Prepare to discuss your experience with Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies.","Be ready to explain your approach to API design and security.","Showcase your ability to troubleshoot and optimize complex systems."],"interviewFocus":["Emphasis on microservices architecture and distributed systems design.","Assessment of experience with container orchestration and cloud infrastructure.","Evaluation of practical problem-solving skills related to system performance and scalability.","Understanding of security principles and secure coding practices."],"commonQuestions":["How do you approach designing scalable APIs?","Describe your experience with containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.","Tell me about a time you had to deal with technical debt.","What are your thoughts on testing strategies for microservices?","How do you ensure security best practices in your code?"]}} ## Round 1: Coding Proficiency **Type:** Technical Coding Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min Solve 1-2 coding problems focusing on data structures and algorithms. This round focuses on your fundamental coding skills. You will be asked to solve one or two coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will assess your ability to write clean, efficient, and correct code, as well as your problem-solving approach and communication skills. Be prepared to explain your thought process, discuss trade-offs, and handle edge cases. **Interviewers look for:** Correctness of the solution.; Efficiency of the algorithm.; Clarity of the code.; Ability to explain the thought process.; Handling of edge cases. **Evaluation criteria:** Coding proficiency and correctness.; Understanding of time and space complexity.; Problem-solving approach.; Ability to write clean and readable code. **Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate thought process clearly.; Poor understanding of fundamental data structures and algorithms.; Difficulty in writing clean, efficient, and bug-free code.; Not asking clarifying questions when needed. ## Questions - Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum. - Implement a function to reverse a linked list. - Find the kth smallest element in a binary search tree. ## Preparation tips - Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank. - Focus on understanding the underlying data structures and algorithms. - Practice explaining your solution out loud. - Be prepared to discuss time and space complexity. - Write code that is well-structured and readable. ## Round 2: System Design **Type:** System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min Design a scalable system, discussing architecture, trade-offs, and scalability. This round assesses your ability to design complex, scalable, and reliable systems. You'll be presented with an open-ended problem (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, or a distributed cache) and expected to propose a high-level architecture. Focus on identifying requirements, defining APIs, choosing appropriate data stores, and discussing trade-offs, scalability, and potential bottlenecks. **Interviewers look for:** A well-thought-out system design.; Understanding of distributed systems concepts.; Ability to justify design decisions.; Consideration of scalability and performance.; Handling of potential issues and failure scenarios. **Evaluation criteria:** System design principles (scalability, availability, reliability).; Understanding of architectural patterns.; Ability to handle trade-offs.; Communication of design choices.; Consideration of edge cases and failure modes. **Common rejection reasons:** Inability to design a scalable and robust system.; Lack of understanding of distributed systems concepts.; Poor consideration of trade-offs and failure scenarios.; Not effectively communicating design choices. ## Questions - Design a system like Twitter's news feed. - Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly. - Design a distributed rate limiter. ## Preparation tips - Study common system design patterns and concepts. - Practice designing various systems. - Understand trade-offs between different technologies and approaches. - Think about scalability, availability, and reliability. - Be prepared to draw diagrams and explain your design clearly. ## Round 3: Behavioral and Cultural Fit **Type:** Behavioral Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min Discuss past experiences, teamwork, and cultural fit using the STAR method. This round focuses on your past experiences, behavioral competencies, and cultural fit. You'll be asked questions about how you've handled various situations in previous roles, such as teamwork, conflict resolution, leadership, and dealing with challenges. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers and provide concrete examples. **Interviewers look for:** Specific examples demonstrating desired behaviors.; Honesty and self-awareness.; Alignment with Atlassian's values.; Enthusiasm for the role and company.; Ability to reflect on past experiences. **Evaluation criteria:** Behavioral competencies (teamwork, leadership, problem-solving).; Past experiences and accomplishments.; Cultural fit with Atlassian.; Motivation and career goals. **Common rejection reasons:** Lack of self-awareness.; Inability to provide specific examples.; Poor communication of past experiences.; Not demonstrating alignment with company values.; Negative attitude or lack of enthusiasm. ## Questions - Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it? - Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult colleague. How did you handle it? - Give an example of a time you took initiative to improve a process or product. - Why are you interested in Atlassian? ## Preparation tips - Prepare examples for common behavioral questions using the STAR method. - Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and career goals. - Research Atlassian's values and culture. - Be ready to discuss why you are interested in Atlassian and this specific role. - Be honest and authentic in your responses. ## Round 4: Hiring Manager Discussion **Type:** Hiring Manager Discussion · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min Discuss role fit, team dynamics, and career aspirations with the hiring manager. This final round is typically with the hiring manager to discuss your overall fit for the team and role. It's an opportunity to ask more in-depth questions about the team's projects, culture, and career growth opportunities. The hiring manager will assess your alignment with the team's needs and your motivation for joining. **Interviewers look for:** Clear understanding of the role and team.; Enthusiasm for the specific projects.; Good communication and interpersonal skills.; Alignment of career goals with the team's trajectory.; Asking insightful questions. **Evaluation criteria:** Alignment with team's technical needs.; Understanding of the role's responsibilities.; Enthusiasm and motivation for the specific team and projects.; Overall fit within the team dynamics. **Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with team's technical direction.; Unrealistic salary expectations.; Poor communication regarding career goals.; Not asking relevant questions about the team or role. ## Questions - What are your expectations for this role? - What kind of projects are you most excited about working on? - How do you see yourself contributing to our team's success? ## Preparation tips - Prepare specific questions about the team's current projects and challenges. - Reiterate your interest in the role and how your skills align. - Discuss your career aspirations and how this role can help you achieve them. - Be prepared to discuss salary expectations if prompted.