Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerMTS 2Medium to Hard

This interview process for a Software Engineer (MTS 2) at eBay is designed to assess a candidate's technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. The process typically involves multiple rounds, starting with an initial HR screening, followed by technical interviews focusing on data structures, algorithms, and system design, and concluding with a behavioral or managerial interview.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·3 - 7 yrs

Comp band·US$110000 - US$150000

Interview time·210 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving approach
  • Algorithmic thinking
  • Data structure knowledge
  • Coding proficiency (clarity, efficiency, correctness)
  • System design principles
  • Scalability and performance considerations
  • Communication skills
  • Behavioral competencies (teamwork, ownership, learning agility)

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal).
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or GeeksforGeeks, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  3. Study system design concepts, including scalability, load balancing, caching, databases, and distributed systems.
  4. Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, highlighting your contributions and technical challenges.
  5. Understand object-oriented programming (OOP) principles and design patterns.
  6. Research eBay's products, services, and company culture.
  7. Prepare answers to common behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 05 phases

01 / 05
01

Phase 01 of 05

Foundational Data Structures and Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Basic Algorithms. Big O.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, Trees, Graphs, Hash Tables) and their common operations. Practice basic algorithms like sorting (Merge Sort, Quick Sort) and searching (Binary Search). Cover time and space complexity analysis (Big O notation).

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
  • Design a system to handle real-time notifications for a social media platform.
  • Explain the difference between a process and a thread.
  • How would you implement a Least Recently Used (LRU) cache?
  • Describe a situation where you had a conflict with a teammate and how you resolved it.
  • What are the trade-offs when choosing between microservices and a monolithic architecture?
  • Write a function to reverse a linked list.
  • How do you ensure the scalability of your applications?
  • Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
  • Design an API for a simple e-commerce product catalog.

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

United States

Interview focus

System Design: Emphasis on scalability, reliability, and distributed systems.Problem-Solving: Ability to break down complex problems and devise efficient solutions.Coding Proficiency: Clean, efficient, and well-tested code.Behavioral: Teamwork, communication, and adaptability.

Common questions

  • How would you design a URL shortener service?
  • Discuss a challenging technical problem you faced and how you solved it.
  • Explain the concept of eventual consistency.
  • What are the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases?
  • Describe your experience with cloud platforms like AWS or Azure.

Tips

  • For US-based roles, be prepared for in-depth system design discussions and coding challenges.
  • Familiarize yourself with common distributed system patterns.
  • Practice explaining your thought process clearly.
  • Research eBay's specific tech stack and recent projects.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

Med

Technical Phone Screen / Online Assessment · 45 min · Software Engineer / Senior Software Engineer

This round typically involves a coding challenge, often presented as a problem to solve on a shared online editor or whiteboard. The interviewer will assess your ability to understand the problem, devise an algorithm, implement it efficiently, and analyze its time and space complexity. Expect questions related to data structures and algorithms.

What they look for

Ability to translate a problem into code.Clean, readable, and efficient code.Understanding of edge cases and error handling.Clear explanation of the solution and its complexity.

Evaluation

  • Problem-solving approach
  • Coding proficiency
  • Understanding of data structures and algorithms
  • Time and space complexity analysis

Sample questions

  • Given a binary tree, find its inorder traversal.

    TreeRecursionIteration

  • Find the kth smallest element in an unsorted array.

    ArraySortingQuickSelect

  • Implement a function to check if a string is a palindrome.

    StringTwo Pointers

Prep for this round

  1. 01Practice coding problems focusing on arrays, strings, linked lists, trees, and graphs.
  2. 02Be comfortable with common algorithms like sorting, searching, and recursion.
  3. 03Practice explaining your code and complexity analysis out loud.

Common rejection reasons

  • ×Poor communication of thought process.
  • ×Inability to write correct or efficient code.
  • ×Lack of understanding of fundamental data structures and algorithms.
  • ×Not asking clarifying questions.

DSA

Coding questions at eBay.

Frequently reported on eBay loops

View all at eBay

Other guides

More at eBay.