Scale Engineer

Grade 9

Software EngineerSoftware Engineer 2Medium to Hard

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Software Engineer position at Autodesk, specifically for the Grade 9 level (Software Engineer 2). The process evaluates technical proficiency, problem-solving skills, collaboration abilities, and cultural fit within Autodesk's innovative environment.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·2 - 5 yrs

Comp band·US$110000 - US$140000

Interview time·180 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving approach and analytical skills
  • Technical depth and breadth in relevant areas
  • Ability to write clean, efficient, and maintainable code
  • Understanding of data structures and algorithms
  • System design capabilities
  • Communication and collaboration skills
  • Cultural fit and alignment with Autodesk values

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Thoroughly review fundamental computer science concepts, including data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented programming.
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or similar, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  3. Study system design principles and common architectural patterns.
  4. Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, highlighting your contributions, challenges, and learnings.
  5. Research Autodesk's products, mission, and recent news to understand their business and technical landscape.
  6. Prepare behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
  7. Understand the specific technologies and programming languages mentioned in the job description.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Data Structures and Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms fundamentals. Solve 20+ LeetCode medium problems.

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 from scratch and analyze their time and space complexity. Solve at least 20 medium-difficulty problems on LeetCode.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Design a system for real-time collaborative editing of a document.
  • Given a large dataset of user interactions, how would you identify trending topics?
  • Explain the difference between a process and a thread.
  • How would you optimize a database query that is running slowly?
  • Describe a situation where you disagreed with a team member and how you resolved it.
  • What are the trade-offs between monolithic and microservices architectures?
  • Write a function to find the k-th largest element in an unsorted array.
  • How do you ensure the security of a web application?
  • Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it.

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

San Francisco

Interview focus

System design for collaborative featuresDebugging complex issues in distributed systemsCross-functional communication and stakeholder management

Common questions

  • How would you design a system to handle real-time collaboration for a design application?
  • Describe a challenging bug you encountered and how you debugged it.
  • Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult stakeholder.

Tips

  • Familiarize yourself with Autodesk's core products and their collaborative features.
  • Prepare examples demonstrating your ability to work in agile environments and contribute to team success.
  • Research common challenges in cloud-based design software.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

Med

Technical Coding Interview · 45 min · Software Engineer (Peer)

This initial technical round focuses on assessing your core programming skills. You will be asked to solve one or two coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will observe your approach to problem-solving, your ability to write working code, and your understanding of time and space complexity. Expect to explain your thought process throughout the coding exercise.

What they look for

Correctness of the solutionEfficiency of the code (time and space complexity)Clarity and readability of the codeAbility to handle edge cases

Evaluation

  • Coding proficiency
  • Understanding of data structures and algorithms
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Ability to write clean and efficient code

Sample questions

  • Implement a function to reverse a linked list.

    Data StructuresLinked ListsAlgorithms

  • Find the first non-repeating character in a string.

    StringsHash MapsAlgorithms

  • Given two sorted arrays, merge them into a single sorted array.

    ArraysSortingAlgorithms

Prep for this round

  1. 01Practice coding on a whiteboard or a shared editor without an IDE.
  2. 02Think out loud and explain your approach before writing code.
  3. 03Test your code with various inputs, including edge cases.
  4. 04Be prepared to discuss alternative solutions and their trade-offs.

Common rejection reasons

  • ×Inability to articulate thought process
  • ×Lack of fundamental programming knowledge
  • ×Poor problem-solving approach

DSA

Coding questions at Autodesk.

Frequently reported on Autodesk loops

View all at Autodesk

Other guides

More at Autodesk.