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
Preparation
Tips
Study plan
Fig · Study plan — 04 phases
01 / 04Phase 01 of 04
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.
Phase 02 of 04
Weeks 3-4: System Design principles and common patterns. Practice designing systems.
Weeks 3-4: Dive into system design. Study concepts like scalability, availability, consistency, load balancing, caching, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), and message queues. Review common system design interview questions and practice designing systems like Twitter feed, URL shortener, etc.
Phase 03 of 04
Week 5: Behavioral questions preparation using STAR method. Reflect on past experiences.
Week 5: Prepare for behavioral and situational questions. Reflect on your past projects and experiences, identifying examples that demonstrate leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and handling challenges. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
Phase 04 of 04
Week 6: Review, mock interviews, Criteo research, and prepare questions.
Week 6: Consolidate your learning. Review all topics, practice mock interviews, and research Criteo's specific technologies and culture. Prepare questions to ask the interviewer.
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 fundamental programming skills. You will be asked to solve one or two coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will evaluate your ability to write clean, efficient, and correct code, as well as your problem-solving approach and communication skills. You'll be expected to explain your thought process throughout the coding exercise.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Given a binary tree, find its inorder traversal.
Implement a function to find the kth smallest element in an unsorted array.
Write a function to check if a string is a palindrome, ignoring non-alphanumeric characters and case.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
System Design Interview · 60 min · Senior Software Engineer / Architect
This round evaluates your ability to design complex software systems. You will be presented with a high-level problem (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, or a distributed cache) and asked to propose a solution. The focus is on your understanding of scalability, availability, data storage, APIs, and trade-offs. You should be prepared to discuss different components, their interactions, and potential bottlenecks.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
Design a distributed key-value store.
How would you design an API for a ride-sharing service?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Behavioral Interview · 45 min · Hiring Manager / Team Lead
This interview focuses on your behavioral and situational responses. The hiring manager will ask questions about your past experiences to understand how you handle various work scenarios, such as teamwork, conflict resolution, dealing with failure, and leadership. The goal is to assess your cultural fit and how you align with Criteo's values and working style. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate. How did you resolve it?
Describe a challenging project you worked on and how you overcame obstacles.
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
