Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerIC2Medium

The Yelp Software Engineer IC2 interview process is designed to assess a candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. It typically involves multiple rounds, including HR screening, technical interviews focusing on data structures and algorithms, system design, and behavioral aspects, culminating in a hiring manager interview.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·2 - 5 yrs

Comp band·US$110000 - US$150000

Interview time·180 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Coding proficiency (clean, efficient, well-tested code)
  • Data structures and algorithms knowledge
  • System design and architectural thinking
  • Communication and collaboration skills
  • Cultural fit and alignment with Yelp's values

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal).
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or Coderbyte, focusing on medium-difficulty problems.
  3. Study system design concepts, including scalability, availability, databases, caching, load balancing, and API design.
  4. Prepare for behavioral questions by using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
  5. Research Yelp's products, mission, and engineering culture.
  6. Understand common software development principles like SOLID, DRY, and KISS.
  7. Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 05 phases

01 / 05
01

Phase 01 of 05

Data Structures and Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms Fundamentals. Practice implementations and basic problems.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures and algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees (binary trees, BSTs, heaps), hash tables, sorting algorithms (quicksort, mergesort), searching algorithms (binary search), and basic graph traversal (BFS, DFS). Practice implementing these and solving problems related to them.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
  • Design a system to store and retrieve user profiles.
  • How would you implement a rate limiter?
  • Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult stakeholder.
  • What are the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases?
  • Write a function to reverse a linked list.
  • Describe your experience with cloud platforms like AWS or GCP.
  • How do you approach debugging a complex issue?
  • What is your understanding of RESTful APIs?
  • Tell me about a project you are particularly proud of.

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

San Francisco

Interview focus

Emphasis on practical application of data structures and algorithms.Understanding of distributed systems and scalability.Collaboration and communication skills.

Common questions

  • How would you design a URL shortener like bit.ly?
  • Discuss a challenging technical problem you solved recently.
  • Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate and how you resolved it.

Tips

  • Be prepared to whiteboard solutions for common coding problems.
  • Familiarize yourself with Yelp's tech stack and products.
  • Practice explaining your thought process clearly.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Yelp.

Frequently reported on Yelp loops

View all at Yelp

Other guides

More at Yelp.