Scale Engineer

Software Engineer II

Software EngineerL3Medium

This interview process is for a Software Engineer II (L3) position at Criteo. It is designed to assess a candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company.

Rounds·3

Timeline·~10d

Experience·2 - 5 yrs

Comp band·US$100000 - US$130000

Interview time·150 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Algorithmic thinking
  • Data structures knowledge
  • Code quality and efficiency
  • System design capabilities
  • Communication skills
  • Teamwork and collaboration
  • Cultural fit

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental data structures and algorithms.
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or Coderbyte.
  3. Study system design principles and common architectural patterns.
  4. Understand object-oriented programming concepts.
  5. Prepare for behavioral questions by reflecting on past experiences using the STAR method.
  6. Research Criteo's products, services, and company culture.
  7. Be ready to discuss your resume in detail.

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. Practice 5-7 problems/week.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, recursion). Practice implementing these in your preferred language. Aim for at least 5-7 problems per week.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
  • Design a system to store and retrieve user preferences.
  • Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult stakeholder.
  • How would you optimize a slow database query?
  • Explain the concept of microservices and their advantages/disadvantages.
  • Describe a situation where you had to learn a new technology quickly.
  • What are the trade-offs between using a relational database and a NoSQL database?
  • How would you design a rate limiter for an API?
  • Tell me about a project you are particularly proud of.
  • What is the difference between concurrency and parallelism?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Paris

Interview focus

Strong emphasis on distributed systems and scalability.Deep dive into system design principles.Understanding of Criteo's specific tech stack (e.g., Java, Scala, distributed caching).

Common questions

  • How would you design a URL shortener service?
  • Explain the difference between SQL and NoSQL databases.
  • Describe a challenging technical problem you solved and how you approached it.

Tips

  • Familiarize yourself with common distributed system patterns.
  • Be prepared to discuss trade-offs in system design choices.
  • Research Criteo's engineering blog and recent technical publications.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Criteo.

Frequently reported on Criteo loops

View all at Criteo

Other guides

More at Criteo.