The Senior Software Engineer (GL28) interview process at Optum is designed to assess a candidate's technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, leadership potential, and cultural fit within the organization. It typically involves multiple rounds, including technical assessments, behavioral interviews, and a system design discussion.
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 (2-3 problems/day).
Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps, heaps, sorting, searching, dynamic programming, and recursion. Practice implementing these and analyzing their time and space complexity. Aim for 2-3 medium/hard problems per day.
Phase 02 of 04
Weeks 3-4: System Design principles and practice.
Weeks 3-4: Dive into System Design. Study concepts like scalability, availability, reliability, consistency, load balancing, caching strategies, database design (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 (STAR method) and company research.
Week 5: Prepare for Behavioral and Situational Questions. Reflect on past projects and experiences. Identify examples that demonstrate leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and adaptability. Practice articulating these using the STAR method. Research Optum's values and mission.
Phase 04 of 04
Week 6: Mock interviews and final review.
Week 6: Mock Interviews and Review. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors covering both technical and behavioral aspects. Review weak areas identified during practice and mock interviews. Finalize questions to ask the interviewers.
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.
Data Structures And Algorithms Interview · 60 min · Software Engineer / Technical Lead
This round focuses on assessing your core technical skills. You will be presented with one or two coding problems that require you to implement algorithms and use appropriate data structures. The interviewer will evaluate your problem-solving approach, coding style, and ability to optimize for performance and efficiency. Expect to write code, potentially on a whiteboard or a shared online editor, and explain your reasoning throughout the process.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
Implement a function to reverse a linked list.
Find the k-th smallest element in a binary search tree.
Design and implement a data structure that supports insert, delete, search, and getRandom in O(1) average time.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
System Design Interview · 60 min · Senior Software Engineer / Architect
This round assesses your ability to design software systems at scale. You'll be given an open-ended problem (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, or a ride-sharing service) and expected to propose a high-level architecture. This includes defining components, data models, APIs, and considering aspects like scalability, reliability, and performance. You should be prepared to discuss trade-offs and justify your design choices.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
Design a rate limiter for an API.
How would you design a distributed cache?
Design a system to count unique visitors to a website in real-time.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Behavioral Interview · 45 min · Hiring Manager / Senior Team Member
This round focuses on your past experiences, behavioral competencies, and how you align with Optum's culture. You'll be asked questions about your career, how you handle specific situations (e.g., conflict resolution, dealing with failure, managing priorities), and your motivations for joining Optum. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to provide structured and impactful answers.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
Describe a situation where you had to influence a decision.
How do you prioritize your work when you have multiple competing deadlines?
What motivates you as a software engineer?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
DSA
Frequently reported on Optum loops
Other guides
