Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerL5Hard

The Software Engineer L5 interview at Whatnot is a comprehensive process designed to assess a candidate's technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, system design skills, and cultural fit. It typically involves multiple rounds, including technical interviews, a system design interview, and a behavioral interview.

Rounds·3

Timeline·~7d

Experience·5 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$140000 - US$180000

Interview time·150 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Algorithmic thinking
  • Data structure knowledge
  • Code quality and efficiency

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental computer science concepts (data structures, algorithms, operating systems, databases).
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or AlgoExpert, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  3. Study system design principles and common patterns (e.g., load balancing, caching, databases, message queues).
  4. Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, highlighting your contributions, challenges, and learnings.
  5. Understand Whatnot's business and products to tailor your answers.
  6. Practice behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
  7. Be ready to ask insightful questions about the role, team, and company culture.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Data Structures and Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms. Practice coding.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, heaps, and common algorithms like sorting, searching, dynamic programming, and graph traversal. Practice coding these concepts on platforms like LeetCode.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Given a stream of data, how would you find the k most frequent elements?
  • Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
  • Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult stakeholder.
  • How would you design a system to handle real-time chat messages for millions of users?
  • Describe a situation where you had to make a difficult technical decision with incomplete information.
  • What are the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases?
  • How do you approach debugging a complex distributed system?
  • Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it.

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Remote/Global

Interview focus

Deep dive into distributed systems and scalability challenges relevant to the specific region's market.Understanding of local market trends and user behavior.Ability to collaborate effectively with geographically distributed teams.

Common questions

  • Discuss a challenging technical problem you solved at scale.
  • How would you design a real-time notification system for a social media platform?
  • Describe a time you had to influence a team to adopt a new technology or approach.
  • Tell me about a project where you had to deal with ambiguity or changing requirements.

Tips

  • Research common technical challenges faced by companies in this region.
  • Be prepared to discuss your experience with technologies prevalent in the local tech ecosystem.
  • Highlight your experience working in diverse and global teams.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Whatnot.

Frequently reported on Whatnot loops

View all at Whatnot

Other guides

More at Whatnot.