The Software Engineer L2 interview at Criteo is designed to assess a candidate's technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. It typically involves multiple rounds, including technical assessments, behavioral questions, and a discussion about past projects and experiences. The goal is to identify candidates who can contribute effectively to Criteo's engineering teams and uphold the company's values.
Rounds·3
Timeline·~7d
Experience·2 - 5 yrs
Comp band·US$100000 - US$130000
Interview time·150 min
Evaluation
Preparation
Tips
Study plan
Fig · Study plan — 04 phases
01 / 04Phase 01 of 04
Weeks 1-2: DSA fundamentals and practice (2-3 problems/day).
Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, heaps, sorting, searching, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Practice problems related to each topic, aiming for 2-3 problems per day. Understand time and space complexity analysis.
Phase 02 of 04
Weeks 3-4: System Design principles and case studies.
Weeks 3-4: System Design and Scalability. Study concepts like load balancing, caching, database design (SQL vs. NoSQL), message queues, microservices architecture, and API design. Read case studies and practice designing scalable systems. Focus on trade-offs and justifications.
Phase 03 of 04
Week 5: Behavioral questions (STAR method) and resume project review.
Week 5: Behavioral and Project Deep Dive. Prepare to discuss your resume projects in detail. Use the STAR method to structure your answers for behavioral questions related to teamwork, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and leadership. Reflect on your career goals and motivations.
Phase 04 of 04
Week 6: Mock interviews and final review.
Week 6: Mock Interviews and Refinement. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors to simulate the actual interview environment. Focus on improving communication, clarity of thought, and time management. Review any weak areas identified during practice.
Questions
Locations
Fig · Regions — 02 locations
01 / 02Location
Interview focus
Common questions
Tips
Location
Interview focus
Common questions
Tips
Rounds
Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.
Technical Interview (Coding) · 45 min · Software Engineer
This round focuses on assessing your core technical skills through coding challenges. You will be asked to solve 1-2 problems related to data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will evaluate your ability to understand the problem, devise an efficient solution, write clean code, and explain your approach. Expect questions on arrays, strings, linked lists, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, and sorting/searching algorithms.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Given a binary tree, find its inorder traversal.
Implement a function to check if a string is a palindrome, ignoring non-alphanumeric characters and case.
Find the first non-repeating character in a string.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
System Design Interview · 60 min · Senior Software Engineer / Architect
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 asked to propose a solution. The focus is on scalability, reliability, performance, and trade-offs. You should be prepared to discuss database choices, caching strategies, API design, and potential bottlenecks.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Design a system to count the number of views for a given YouTube video.
Design a distributed cache system.
How would you design a system to detect duplicate uploads of images?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Behavioral Interview · 45 min · Hiring Manager / Senior Team Member
This round focuses on your past experiences, behavioral competencies, and cultural fit. You'll be asked questions about how you've handled specific situations in previous roles, such as dealing with conflict, managing challenging projects, or working in a team. The interviewer wants to understand your working style, your strengths and weaknesses, and how you align with Criteo's values. Be prepared to share specific examples using the STAR method.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample 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?
How do you prioritize your work when you have multiple competing deadlines?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
DSA
Frequently reported on Criteo loops
Other guides
