The Software Engineer L6 interview at Hive is a comprehensive assessment designed to evaluate a candidate's technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, system design skills, and cultural fit. The process is rigorous, aiming to identify individuals who can contribute significantly to our engineering team and uphold Hive's standards of innovation and quality.
Rounds·3
Timeline·~14d
Experience·5 - 10 yrs
Comp band·US$140000 - US$180000
Interview time·165 min
Evaluation
Preparation
Tips
Study plan
Fig · Study plan — 04 phases
01 / 04Phase 01 of 04
Weeks 1-2: DSA fundamentals and practice (50+ medium problems).
Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, heaps, and sorting/searching algorithms. Practice implementing these and analyzing their time/space complexity. Solve at least 50 medium-difficulty problems.
Phase 02 of 04
Weeks 3-4: System Design principles and practice (common interview questions).
Weeks 3-4: Dive into System Design. Study concepts like scalability, availability, reliability, load balancing, caching, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), message queues, and API design. 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 (STAR method).
Week 5: Focus on Behavioral and Situational Questions. Prepare examples using the STAR method for questions related to teamwork, conflict resolution, leadership, handling failure, and dealing with ambiguity. Reflect on your career experiences.
Phase 04 of 04
Week 6: Review, mock interviews, and feedback.
Week 6: Review and Mock Interviews. Consolidate your learning. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors, focusing on both technical and behavioral aspects. Get feedback and identify areas for improvement.
Questions
Locations
Fig · Regions — 03 locations
01 / 03Location
Interview focus
Common questions
Tips
Location
Interview focus
Common questions
Tips
Location
Interview focus
Common questions
Tips
Rounds
Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.
Data Structures And Algorithms Interview · 60 min · Senior Software Engineer or Staff Engineer
This round focuses on your core programming skills. You will be presented with one or two coding problems that require you to implement algorithms and data structures. The interviewer will assess your ability to write correct, efficient, and well-structured code, as well as your approach to problem-solving and debugging.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Given a binary tree, find the lowest common ancestor of two given nodes in the tree.
Implement a function to find the k-th largest element in an unsorted array.
Given a string containing just the characters '(', ')', '{', '}', '[' and ']', determine if the input string is valid.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
System Design Interview · 60 min · Staff Engineer or Principal Engineer
This round evaluates your ability to design large-scale, distributed systems. You will be given an open-ended problem, such as designing a specific service or feature. The interviewer will assess your approach to breaking down the problem, identifying components, defining APIs, and considering scalability, reliability, and other non-functional requirements.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Design a URL shortening service like Bitly.
Design a system to handle real-time notifications for a social media platform.
Design a distributed cache system.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Behavioral Interview · 45 min · Hiring Manager or Engineering Manager
This round focuses on your behavioral and situational responses, as well as your overall fit with Hive's culture. The interviewer will ask questions about your past experiences, how you handle challenges, your teamwork abilities, and your motivations. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about the team, role, and company.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Tell me about a time you faced a significant technical challenge and how you overcame it.
Describe a situation where you had a conflict with a colleague. How did you resolve it?
Why are you interested in working at Hive?
How do you prioritize your work when faced with multiple competing tasks?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
DSA
Frequently reported on Hive loops
Other guides
