FactSet

Software Engineer

Software EngineerLead Software EngineerHigh

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Lead Software Engineer position at FactSet. It evaluates technical proficiency, problem-solving skills, leadership potential, and cultural fit.

Rounds

4

Timeline

~14 days

Experience

5 - 10 yrs

Salary Range

US$150000 - US$200000

Total Duration

210 min

Overall Evaluation Criteria

Technical Skills

Technical depth and breadth
Problem-solving approach
System design capabilities
Leadership and mentorship skills
Communication and collaboration

Leadership & Management

Ability to lead and influence teams
Mentoring and coaching junior engineers
Driving technical strategy
Conflict resolution

Behavioral & Cultural Fit

Cultural alignment with FactSet values
Teamwork and collaboration
Adaptability and learning agility
Proactiveness and ownership

Preparation Tips

1Review core computer science concepts (data structures, algorithms, operating systems, databases).
2Practice system design problems, focusing on scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
3Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, highlighting your contributions and technical decisions.
4Understand FactSet's business and the financial industry.
5Research common behavioral interview questions and prepare STAR method responses.
6Think about examples of leadership, mentorship, and conflict resolution.
7Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company culture.

Study Plan

1

Data Structures & Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: DSA fundamentals and practice (medium/hard).

Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Review common data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, graph traversal, dynamic programming). Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.

2

System Design

Weeks 3-4: System Design principles and practice.

Weeks 3-4: Deep dive into System Design. Study architectural patterns (microservices, monolithic), database design (SQL vs NoSQL), caching strategies, load balancing, message queues, and API design. Practice designing large-scale systems.

3

Behavioral & Leadership

Week 5: Behavioral and Leadership preparation (STAR method).

Week 5: Prepare for Behavioral and Leadership questions. Reflect on your career experiences, focusing on examples of leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and handling challenges. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.

4

Company & Role Research

Week 6: Company research and question preparation.

Week 6: Research FactSet, its products, and its culture. Prepare specific questions to ask the interviewers. Review any specific technologies mentioned in the job description or relevant to FactSet's work.

Commonly Asked Questions

Describe a complex system you designed or significantly contributed to. What were the key challenges and how did you address them?
How do you approach leading a team through a difficult technical challenge?
Tell me about a time you had to mentor a junior engineer. What was your approach and what was the outcome?
How do you balance delivering new features with maintaining code quality and addressing technical debt?
Describe a situation where you disagreed with a technical decision made by your team or manager. How did you handle it?
What are your strategies for ensuring the scalability and reliability of a system under heavy load?
How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning within a team?
Walk me through your process for debugging a critical production issue.
What are your thoughts on the trade-offs between different database technologies?
How do you stay current with emerging technologies and evaluate their potential adoption?

Location-Based Differences

New York

Interview Focus

System Design and ArchitectureTechnical Leadership and MentorshipCross-functional CollaborationProblem-solving complex technical challenges

Common Questions

Describe a challenging technical problem you solved in a previous role and how you approached it.

How do you mentor junior engineers and foster their growth?

Tell me about a time you had to influence a team to adopt a new technology or approach.

What are your strategies for ensuring code quality and maintainability in a large codebase?

How do you handle disagreements within a technical team?

Tips

Be prepared to discuss specific examples of leading technical initiatives.
Highlight your experience in mentoring and developing other engineers.
Emphasize your ability to communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Research FactSet's technology stack and recent product developments.
Prepare questions that demonstrate your understanding of leadership and strategic thinking.

London

Interview Focus

Scalability and PerformanceCloud TechnologiesArchitectural PatternsProblem-solving and Debugging

Common Questions

How do you approach designing scalable and resilient systems?

Describe a situation where you had to make a difficult trade-off in a system design.

How do you stay updated with the latest industry trends and technologies?

Tell me about a time you had to manage technical debt.

What is your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)?

Tips

Be ready to dive deep into system design scenarios.
Showcase your understanding of distributed systems and microservices.
Highlight any experience with performance optimization and tuning.
Be prepared to discuss your familiarity with various cloud services and their applications.
Prepare questions about FactSet's approach to technical innovation and scalability.

Gurugram

Interview Focus

Agile MethodologiesDevOps and CI/CDSecurity Best PracticesIncident Management

Common Questions

How do you ensure the security of the systems you build?

Describe your experience with agile methodologies and leading agile teams.

Tell me about a time you had to deal with a production incident.

How do you prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively?

What are your thoughts on continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD)?

Tips

Demonstrate your understanding of agile principles and how to lead a team within that framework.
Be prepared to discuss your experience with CI/CD pipelines and tools.
Highlight your knowledge of security best practices in software development.
Showcase your ability to handle production issues calmly and effectively.
Prepare questions about FactSet's engineering culture and development processes.

Process Timeline

1
Data Structures and Algorithms45m
2
System Design60m
3
Behavioral & Leadership45m
4
Strategic & Executive Alignment60m

Interview Rounds

4-step process with detailed breakdown for each round

1

Data Structures and Algorithms

Coding challenge focused on data structures and algorithms.

Technical Interview (Coding)Medium
45 minSoftware Engineer / Senior Software Engineer

This round focuses on your fundamental programming skills and problem-solving abilities. You will be asked to solve coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will assess your ability to write clean, efficient, and correct code, as well as your approach to breaking down complex problems.

What Interviewers Look For

Clean and efficient code.Logical approach to problem-solving.Understanding of time and space complexity.Ability to explain thought process.

Evaluation Criteria

Problem-solving skills
Algorithmic thinking
Data structure knowledge
Coding proficiency

Questions Asked

Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.

ArrayDynamic Programming

Implement a function to reverse a linked list.

Linked ListPointers

Find the kth smallest element in a binary search tree.

TreeBinary Search TreeRecursion

Preparation Tips

1Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank.
2Review common data structures and algorithms.
3Be prepared to explain your thought process while coding.
4Practice explaining the time and space complexity of your solutions.

Common Reasons for Rejection

Inability to articulate technical solutions clearly.
Lack of depth in problem-solving.
Poor understanding of fundamental computer science concepts.
Inability to adapt to feedback during the interview.
2

System Design

Design a scalable and robust software system.

System Design InterviewHigh
60 minSenior Software Engineer / Engineering Manager

This round assesses your ability to design complex, scalable, and reliable software systems. You will be presented with a high-level problem and asked to design a solution, considering aspects like data storage, APIs, scalability, and fault tolerance. The focus is on your architectural thinking and ability to make informed trade-offs.

What Interviewers Look For

Structured approach to design problems.Understanding of distributed systems.Ability to identify and mitigate potential bottlenecks.Clear communication of design decisions.

Evaluation Criteria

System design principles
Scalability and performance considerations
Reliability and fault tolerance
Trade-off analysis
API design

Questions Asked

Design a URL shortening service like Bitly.

System DesignScalabilityDatabases

Design a system to handle real-time notifications for a social media platform.

System DesignReal-timeWebSockets

Design a distributed cache system.

System DesignDistributed SystemsCaching

Preparation Tips

1Study common system design patterns and architectures.
2Understand concepts like load balancing, caching, databases (SQL/NoSQL), and message queues.
3Practice designing systems like Twitter feed, URL shortener, or a distributed cache.
4Be prepared to discuss trade-offs and justify your design choices.

Common Reasons for Rejection

Inability to design scalable and robust systems.
Poor understanding of trade-offs in system design.
Lack of experience with distributed systems concepts.
Difficulty in articulating design choices and justifications.
3

Behavioral & Leadership

Assesses leadership, teamwork, and cultural fit.

Behavioral & Leadership InterviewMedium
45 minEngineering Manager / Director

This round focuses on your behavioral competencies and leadership potential. You'll be asked questions about your past experiences, focusing on how you've handled various situations, including leadership challenges, team collaboration, conflict resolution, and driving projects to completion. The goal is to understand your working style, leadership approach, and how you align with FactSet's culture.

What Interviewers Look For

Examples of taking initiative.Ability to mentor and guide others.Effective communication and conflict resolution.Alignment with FactSet's values.Proactive and ownership mindset.

Evaluation Criteria

Leadership qualities
Teamwork and collaboration
Problem-solving approach
Communication skills
Cultural fit

Questions Asked

Tell me about a time you had to lead a team through a difficult project. What was your role and what was the outcome?

LeadershipProject ManagementBehavioral

Describe a situation where you had to resolve a conflict within your team. How did you approach it?

Conflict ResolutionTeamworkBehavioral

How do you motivate your team members?

LeadershipMotivationBehavioral

Preparation Tips

1Prepare examples using the STAR method for common behavioral questions.
2Reflect on your leadership experiences, mentoring, and team contributions.
3Understand FactSet's company values and culture.
4Be ready to discuss your career goals and motivations.

Common Reasons for Rejection

Lack of leadership experience or potential.
Poor communication or interpersonal skills.
Inability to provide concrete examples of past achievements.
Not demonstrating alignment with company values.
Difficulty in handling challenging behavioral questions.
4

Strategic & Executive Alignment

Focus on strategic thinking and business alignment.

Managerial / Executive InterviewHigh
60 minDirector of Engineering / VP of Engineering

This final round is with a senior leader and focuses on your strategic thinking, technical vision, and ability to align technology with business objectives. You'll discuss your leadership philosophy, how you approach technical strategy, and your understanding of the broader impact of technology on the business. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your potential as a leader at FactSet.

What Interviewers Look For

Ability to think strategically about technology and business.Clear vision for technical direction.Understanding of how technology drives business value.Strong communication and influencing skills.

Evaluation Criteria

Strategic thinking
Technical vision
Business acumen
Communication with leadership
Impact and influence

Questions Asked

What is your vision for a high-performing engineering team?

LeadershipVisionStrategy

How do you ensure that technical decisions align with business priorities?

Business AcumenStrategyLeadership

Describe a time you had to influence senior leadership on a technical strategy. What was the outcome?

InfluenceStrategyCommunication

Preparation Tips

1Understand FactSet's business strategy and market position.
2Think about how technology can support and drive business goals.
3Prepare to discuss your vision for a software engineering team.
4Be ready to articulate your leadership philosophy and how you influence others.

Common Reasons for Rejection

Lack of strategic thinking.
Inability to connect technical decisions to business goals.
Poor communication with senior stakeholders.
Not demonstrating a clear vision for the team or product.

Commonly Asked DSA Questions

Frequently asked coding questions at FactSet

View all
Happy NumberEASYRemove Duplicate LettersMEDIUMIncreasing Triplet SubsequenceMEDIUMSmallest Subsequence of Distinct CharactersMEDIUMRemove All Adjacent Duplicates in String IIMEDIUM