The Software Engineer L6 interview process at SmartNews is designed to assess a candidate's technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, system design skills, and cultural fit. The process typically involves multiple rounds, including technical screenings, coding challenges, system design discussions, and behavioral interviews.
Rounds·4
Timeline·~14d
Experience·5 - 10 yrs
Comp band·US$140000 - US$180000
Interview time·195 min
Evaluation
Preparation
Tips
Study plan
Fig · Study plan — 04 phases
01 / 04Phase 01 of 04
Weeks 1-2: DSA fundamentals and practice (50-75 problems).
Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, sorting, searching, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Practice implementing these and analyzing their time and space complexity. Aim for at least 50-75 LeetCode medium/hard problems.
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, load balancing, caching, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), message queues, and microservices. Review common system design interview questions and practice designing systems like Twitter feed, URL shortener, or a distributed cache.
Phase 03 of 04
Week 5: Behavioral questions (STAR method) and company research.
Week 5: Prepare for Behavioral and Situational Questions. Reflect on your past projects and experiences. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers for questions about teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, and handling failures. Also, research SmartNews's company culture and values.
Phase 04 of 04
Week 6: Mock interviews and final review.
Week 6: Mock Interviews and Review. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors to simulate the actual interview environment. Focus on improving communication, problem-solving approach, and time management. Review any weak areas identified during practice.
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 Coding Interview · 45 min · Software Engineer / Senior Software Engineer
This round focuses on assessing your core programming skills and problem-solving abilities. You will be given one or two coding problems to solve, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will evaluate your ability to understand the problem, devise an efficient solution, write clean and correct code, and explain your thought process. Expect to discuss time and space complexity.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Given an array of integers, return indices of the two numbers such that they add up to a specific target.
Implement a function to reverse a linked list.
Find the kth smallest element in a Binary Search Tree.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
System Design Interview · 60 min · Senior Software Engineer / Engineering Manager
This round evaluates your ability to design and architect complex, scalable systems. You'll be presented with a high-level problem (e.g., design a news feed, a URL shortener, a real-time analytics system) and expected to discuss various aspects of the design, including data models, APIs, scalability strategies, caching, load balancing, and fault tolerance. You should be prepared to justify your design choices and discuss trade-offs.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Design a system like Twitter's timeline.
Design a URL shortening service like Bitly.
Design a system to count unique visitors to a website in real-time.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Behavioral & Managerial Interview · 45 min · Hiring Manager / Engineering Manager
This round focuses on your past experiences, behavioral competencies, and cultural fit. You'll be asked questions about how you've handled specific situations in previous roles, such as dealing with conflict, leading projects, overcoming challenges, or working in a team. The interviewer aims to understand your working style, motivations, and how you would contribute to the team and company culture. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to provide clear and concise answers.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult stakeholder. How did you manage the situation?
Describe a project where you took initiative or demonstrated leadership.
How do you handle constructive criticism?
Why are you interested in SmartNews?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Team Fit Interview · 45 min · Team Lead / Senior Engineers on the team
In this round, you'll meet with potential team members or the team lead. The focus is on assessing your fit within the specific team you'd be joining. This may involve discussing your experience in relation to the team's current projects, your preferred working style, and how you collaborate. It's also an opportunity for you to ask detailed questions about the team's work, challenges, and culture.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
How would you approach debugging a complex issue in our current microservices architecture?
What are your thoughts on our current approach to data processing?
Describe a time you mentored a junior engineer.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
DSA
Frequently reported on smartnews loops
Other guides
