Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerL4Medium to Hard

This interview process is for a Software Engineer (L4) position at Verily. It is designed to assess a candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company.

Rounds·3

Timeline·~14d

Experience·3 - 7 yrs

Comp band·US$130000 - US$175000

Interview time·150 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving approach
  • Algorithmic thinking
  • Data structures knowledge
  • Code quality and efficiency
  • System design capabilities
  • Understanding of distributed systems
  • Communication skills
  • Collaboration and teamwork
  • Adaptability and learning agility
  • Alignment with Verily's mission and values

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental computer science concepts (data structures, algorithms).
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or similar.
  3. Study system design principles and common architectural patterns.
  4. Understand distributed systems concepts (e.g., consensus, fault tolerance, CAP theorem).
  5. Prepare for behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
  6. Research Verily's mission, products, and recent news.
  7. Be ready to discuss your past projects in detail, highlighting your contributions and learnings.
  8. If interviewing for a specific domain (e.g., healthcare, genomics), brush up on relevant concepts.
  9. Practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly and concisely.
  10. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers.

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 5-7 problems per topic.

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. Aim for at least 5-7 problems per data structure/algorithm type.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Given a stream of user activity logs, design a system to detect fraudulent patterns in real-time.
  • How would you design a URL shortening service like bit.ly?
  • Explain the difference between concurrency and parallelism.
  • Describe a time you had to deal with a difficult stakeholder. How did you handle it?
  • Write a function to find the k-th largest element in an unsorted array.
  • How would you design a system to handle millions of concurrent users for a social media platform?
  • What are the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases?
  • Tell me about a project you are particularly proud of.
  • How do you stay updated with new technologies?
  • If you were to build a recommendation engine for Verily's health products, what approach would you take?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

South San Francisco

Interview focus

Emphasis on understanding biological data and its implications.Ability to translate complex biological problems into technical solutions.Collaboration and communication skills with non-technical stakeholders.

Common questions

  • How would you design a system to handle real-time patient data monitoring?
  • Describe a challenging debugging experience you had with a large-scale distributed system.
  • What are your thoughts on the ethical implications of using AI in healthcare?
  • How do you approach collaborating with cross-functional teams (e.g., biologists, clinicians)?

Tips

  • Familiarize yourself with common biological data formats (e.g., VCF, BAM).
  • Understand the basics of genomics and molecular biology.
  • Be prepared to discuss projects involving healthcare or life sciences.
  • Highlight experience working with data scientists or domain experts.

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 your fundamental computer science knowledge. You will be asked to solve coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will assess your ability to understand the problem, devise an efficient solution, write clean code, and explain your reasoning. Expect to write code in a shared editor or on a whiteboard.

What they look for

Clear and structured approach to problem-solvingCorrect implementation of algorithms and data structuresAbility to analyze time and space complexityClean and readable code

Evaluation

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Data structures and algorithms knowledge
  • Coding proficiency
  • Logical thinking

Sample questions

  • Given an array of integers, return indices of the two numbers such that they add up to a specific target.

    ArrayHash Table

  • Implement a function to reverse a linked list.

    Linked List

  • Find the median of two sorted arrays.

    ArrayBinary Search

Prep for this round

  1. 01Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode (Easy to Medium difficulty).
  2. 02Review 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 solve problems.
  4. 04Be prepared to discuss edge cases and optimize your solutions.

Common rejection reasons

  • ×Inability to articulate thought process
  • ×Poor problem-solving approach
  • ×Lack of fundamental CS knowledge
  • ×Inefficient or incorrect code

DSA

Coding questions at Verily.

Frequently reported on Verily loops

View all at Verily

Other guides

More at Verily.