This interview process is designed to assess candidates for the Fellow Engineer role at InMobi, focusing on deep technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, and leadership potential. The process involves multiple rounds to evaluate a candidate's fit across technical skills, behavioral aspects, and alignment with InMobi's culture and values.
Rounds·4
Timeline·~14d
Experience·8 - 15 yrs
Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000
Interview time·225 min
Evaluation
Preparation
Tips
Study plan
Fig · Study plan — 05 phases
01 / 05Phase 01 of 05
Weeks 1-2: DSA fundamentals. Practice 2-3 problems/day.
Weeks 1-2: Focus on core Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, heaps, sorting, searching, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Practice implementing these and analyzing their time and space complexity. Aim for 2-3 problems per day.
Phase 02 of 05
Weeks 3-4: System Design principles and case studies.
Weeks 3-4: Dive into System Design. Study concepts like load balancing, caching, databases (SQL vs NoSQL), message queues, microservices, API design, CAP theorem, and consistency models. Work through common system design case studies (e.g., designing Twitter feed, URL shortener, distributed cache).
Phase 03 of 05
Week 5: Distributed Systems, Scalability, and related technologies.
Week 5: Focus on Distributed Systems and Scalability. Understand concepts like consensus algorithms (Paxos, Raft), distributed transactions, sharding, replication, and fault tolerance. Explore technologies like Kafka, Cassandra, Redis, and Kubernetes.
Phase 04 of 05
Week 6: Behavioral preparation (STAR method) and company research.
Week 6: Behavioral and Leadership Preparation. Prepare examples using the STAR method for common behavioral questions related to leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution, handling failure, and influencing others. Research InMobi's values and culture.
Phase 05 of 05
Week 7: Mock interviews, review weak areas, project discussion prep.
Week 7: Mock Interviews and Review. Conduct mock interviews for both technical and behavioral rounds. Identify weak areas and revisit them. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely. Review your past projects and prepare to discuss them in depth.
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) · 60 min · Senior Software Engineer / Tech Lead
This round focuses on assessing your fundamental computer science knowledge, particularly in data structures and algorithms. You will be presented with coding problems that require you to implement efficient solutions. The interviewer will evaluate your problem-solving approach, your ability to write clean and optimized code, and your understanding of time and space complexity. Expect to be asked to explain your thought process and justify your choices.
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.
Find the shortest path in a grid with obstacles.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
System Design & Architecture · 60 min · Senior Staff Engineer / Principal Engineer
This round evaluates your ability to design robust, scalable, and maintainable systems. You'll be given a high-level problem statement (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, a real-time bidding system) and expected to propose a comprehensive architecture. The interviewer will probe into your design choices, scalability considerations, data storage strategies, API design, and how you handle potential failures and bottlenecks.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
Design a distributed rate limiter.
Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
Design a system to count unique visitors to a website in real-time.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Behavioral & Leadership Interview · 45 min · Engineering Manager / Director
This round focuses on your behavioral aspects, leadership potential, and how you collaborate within a team. You'll be asked questions about your past experiences, focusing on situations where you demonstrated leadership, handled conflicts, mentored others, or drove projects to completion. The interviewer will also assess your cultural fit with InMobi and your motivation for joining the company.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Tell me about a time you had to lead a team through a challenging project. What was your approach?
Describe a situation where you had a conflict with a colleague or manager. How did you resolve it?
How do you mentor junior engineers? Give an example.
What are your strengths and weaknesses as an engineer?
Why are you interested in InMobi and this role?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Managerial / Leadership Interview · 60 min · Director of Engineering / VP of Engineering
This final round is with senior leadership and focuses on your strategic thinking, technical vision, and overall fit for a senior role at InMobi. You'll discuss your experience in driving technical strategy, influencing product roadmaps, and contributing to the company's growth. Expect questions about your leadership philosophy, how you approach complex business problems with technology, and your long-term career aspirations.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
What is your vision for the future of mobile advertising technology?
How would you approach building a new product from scratch at InMobi?
Describe a time you had to make a significant technical decision that had a major business impact.
How do you foster innovation within an engineering team?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years, and how does this role align with that?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
DSA
Frequently reported on InMobi loops
Other guides
