Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerMTS2Medium to Hard

This interview process is for a Software Engineer position at Pure Storage, specifically for the MTS2 level. It is designed to assess a candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company.

Rounds·3

Timeline·~14d

Experience·2 - 5 yrs

Comp band·US$110000 - US$150000

Interview time·150 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Data structures and algorithms knowledge
  • Coding proficiency
  • System design capabilities
  • Communication skills
  • Teamwork and collaboration
  • Cultural fit

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental data structures and algorithms.
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or AlgoExpert.
  3. Study system design principles and common architectural patterns.
  4. Prepare for behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
  5. Research Pure Storage's products, mission, and values.
  6. Understand the specific technologies and domains relevant to the role.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Data Structures and Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms fundamentals. Practice implementations and complexity analysis.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal). Practice implementing these from scratch and analyze their time and space complexity.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
  • Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
  • Tell me about a time you disagreed with a technical decision and how you handled it.
  • How would you optimize a slow database query?
  • Explain the concept of eventual consistency.
  • Describe a challenging bug you encountered and how you debugged it.

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

USA

Interview focus

Emphasis on practical application of data structures and algorithms.Understanding of distributed systems concepts.Cultural fit and collaboration skills.

Common questions

  • Discuss a challenging technical problem you solved at your previous role.
  • How do you approach debugging a complex system?
  • Describe a time you had to work with a difficult team member.

Tips

  • Be prepared to whiteboard solutions for coding problems.
  • Have specific examples ready to illustrate your experience.
  • Research Pure Storage's values and culture.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

Med

Technical Interview - Coding · 45 min · Software Engineer

This round focuses on assessing your core programming skills. You will be given one or two coding problems to solve, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will evaluate your ability to write clean, efficient, and correct code, as well as your approach to problem-solving and debugging.

What they look for

Ability to translate a problem into code.Understanding of algorithmic complexity.Clean and maintainable code.Logical thinking and debugging skills.

Evaluation

  • Correctness of the solution
  • Efficiency of the solution (time and space complexity)
  • Code quality and readability
  • Problem-solving approach

Sample questions

  • Reverse a linked list.

    Data StructuresLinked ListsAlgorithms

  • Find the kth smallest element in a binary search tree.

    Data StructuresTreesBinary Search TreesAlgorithms

  • Implement a function to check if a string is a palindrome.

    StringsAlgorithms

Prep for this round

  1. 01Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode.
  2. 02Be comfortable with common data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming).
  3. 03Practice explaining your thought process out loud as you code.
  4. 04Write test cases for your code.

Common rejection reasons

  • ×Inability to solve coding problems within the given time.
  • ×Poor understanding of fundamental data structures and algorithms.
  • ×Lack of clarity in explaining the thought process.

DSA

Coding questions at Pure Storage.

Frequently reported on Pure Storage loops

View all at Pure Storage

Other guides

More at Pure Storage.