# Software Engineer
**Role:** Software Engineer · **Level:** Software Engineer II
**Company:** [FactSet](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/factset)
**Difficulty:** Medium
**Salary:** US$110000 - US$140000
**Experience:** 2 - 5
**Timeline:** ~14 days
FactSet is looking for a Software Engineer II to join our dynamic team. This role involves designing, developing, and maintaining high-quality software solutions that power our financial data and analytics platforms. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative products and contribute to the continuous improvement of our engineering practices.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/factset/software-engineer-ii-software-engineer
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Skills
- Communication & Collaboration
- Behavioral & Cultural Fit

## Questions asked

- Describe a time you had to debug a complex production issue. What was your approach?
- How would you design a system to track stock prices in real-time for millions of users?
- Explain the difference between a process and a thread.
- What are the trade-offs between using a relational database and a NoSQL database for financial data?
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a technical decision made by your team. How did you handle it?
- How do you stay updated with new technologies and industry trends?
- Write a function to find the kth smallest element in an unsorted array.
- What is polymorphism and how is it implemented in your preferred language?
- Describe a situation where you had to work under a tight deadline. How did you manage your time and priorities?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Review fundamental data structures and algorithms.
- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or Coderbyte.
- Brush up on object-oriented design principles.
- Understand common software design patterns.
- Prepare for behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Research FactSet's products, services, and company culture.
- Think about past projects and be ready to discuss your contributions and challenges.
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Data Structures and Algorithms","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, Trees, Graphs, Hash Tables) and their associated algorithms (Sorting, Searching, Graph Traversal, Dynamic Programming). Practice implementing these from scratch and analyze their time and space complexity.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms fundamentals. Practice implementations and complexity analysis."}
- {"title":"System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into system design concepts. Study topics like scalability, availability, reliability, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), caching, load balancing, and microservices architecture. Work through common system design interview problems.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: System Design principles. Focus on scalability, databases, caching, and microservices."}
- {"title":"Behavioral Preparation","longDescription":"Week 5: Prepare for behavioral and situational questions. Reflect on your past experiences and prepare specific examples using the STAR method. Understand FactSet's values and how your experiences align with them.","shortDescription":"Week 5: Behavioral preparation. Use STAR method for past experiences and align with FactSet values."}
- {"title":"Final Review & Mock Interviews","longDescription":"Week 6: Mock interviews and final review. Conduct mock interviews focusing on both technical and behavioral aspects. Review any weak areas identified during practice. Research the company and the specific role in detail.","shortDescription":"Week 6: Mock interviews and final review. Focus on weak areas and company research."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Norwalk, CT","differences":{"tips":["Research FactSet's products and recent news.","Prepare examples that demonstrate collaboration and impact within a large organization.","Be ready to discuss how your skills align with FactSet's mission."],"interviewFocus":["Understanding of FactSet's specific technologies and platforms.","Ability to adapt to the company culture and collaborative environment.","Problem-solving skills within the context of financial data processing."],"commonQuestions":["Tell me about a challenging project you worked on at FactSet.","How do you handle conflicting priorities between different teams?","Describe a time you had to mentor a junior engineer."]}}
- {"location":"San Jose, CA","differences":{"tips":["Review common system design patterns and trade-offs.","Be prepared to discuss your experience with cloud services and deployment strategies.","Familiarize yourself with concepts related to high-availability and fault tolerance in distributed systems."],"interviewFocus":["System design and architecture, particularly for scalable and reliable financial systems.","Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).","Understanding of distributed systems and data consistency."],"commonQuestions":["How do you approach system design for a distributed financial data service?","Describe your experience with cloud-native architectures.","What are your thoughts on microservices vs. monolithic architectures for financial applications?"]}}
- {"location":"Austin, TX","differences":{"tips":["Highlight your experience with automated testing frameworks.","Be ready to discuss your understanding of CI/CD principles and tools.","Prepare examples of how you've improved code quality or development processes."],"interviewFocus":["Software development best practices, including testing, code reviews, and CI/CD.","Agile development methodologies.","Problem-solving and debugging skills in a production environment."],"commonQuestions":["How do you ensure code quality and maintainability in a fast-paced environment?","Describe your experience with agile methodologies and CI/CD pipelines.","What strategies do you use for debugging complex issues in production?"]}}

## Round 1: Data Structures and Algorithms
**Type:** Technical Interview (Coding) · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Solve coding problems focusing on data structures and algorithms.
This round focuses on your core programming skills. You will be asked to solve one or two coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will assess your ability to write clean, efficient, and well-tested code, as well as your approach to problem-solving and your understanding of algorithmic complexity.
**Interviewers look for:** Clean and efficient code.; Logical and structured approach to problem-solving.; Understanding of time and space complexity.; Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively.
**Evaluation criteria:** Problem-solving skills; Coding proficiency; Understanding of data structures and algorithms; Ability to explain code and logic
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate thought process clearly.; Lack of fundamental programming knowledge.; Poor problem-solving approach.; Not asking clarifying questions.
## Questions

- Given a binary tree, invert the tree.
- Find the first non-repeating character in a string.

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode.
- Focus on understanding time and space complexity (Big O notation).
- Be prepared to explain your thought process as you code.
- Practice writing code on a whiteboard or in a shared editor.

## Round 2: System Design & Architecture
**Type:** System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Design a scalable software system, discussing architecture and trade-offs.
This round assesses 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 real-time analytics system) and expected to discuss various aspects of the design, including data models, APIs, scalability, and potential bottlenecks. This is a collaborative discussion where your thought process is key.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to design complex systems from scratch.; Understanding of scalability, availability, and reliability.; Knowledge of various architectural patterns and technologies.; Ability to justify design choices and discuss trade-offs.
**Evaluation criteria:** System design capabilities; Scalability and performance considerations; Understanding of trade-offs; Knowledge of distributed systems; Database design and management
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to design scalable and robust systems.; Lack of understanding of distributed systems concepts.; Poor trade-off analysis.; Not considering edge cases or failure scenarios.
## Questions

- Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
- Design an API rate limiter.

## Preparation tips

- Study common system design patterns (e.g., load balancing, caching, message queues).
- Understand database choices (SQL vs. NoSQL) and their implications.
- Practice designing common systems.
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs and justify your decisions.

## Round 3: Behavioral & Situational Interview
**Type:** Behavioral Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Discuss past experiences and work style using the STAR method.
This round focuses on your past experiences and how you handle various workplace situations. You'll be asked behavioral questions designed to understand your work style, problem-solving approach, teamwork abilities, and how you align with FactSet's culture and values. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
**Interviewers look for:** Evidence of teamwork and collaboration.; Ability to handle conflict and challenging situations.; Proactiveness and ownership.; Alignment with FactSet's values and culture.; Clear communication and self-awareness.
**Evaluation criteria:** Behavioral competencies; Teamwork and collaboration; Problem-solving approach in past situations; Motivation and career goals; Cultural fit
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear communication.; Inability to provide specific examples.; Appearing unenthusiastic or disengaged.; Not demonstrating alignment with company values.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you faced a significant challenge at work and how you overcame it.
- Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult team member. How did you handle it?
- Why are you interested in working at FactSet?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare examples for common behavioral questions (teamwork, conflict, failure, success).
- Use the STAR method to structure your answers.
- Research FactSet's company values and culture.
- Be ready to discuss your career aspirations and why you're interested in FactSet.