# Software Engineer
**Role:** Software Engineer · **Level:** IC2
**Company:** [Yelp](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/yelp)
**Difficulty:** Medium
**Salary:** US$110000 - US$150000
**Experience:** 2 - 5
**Timeline:** ~14 days
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.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/yelp/ic2-software-engineer
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Skills
- Communication
- Behavioral and Cultural Fit

## Questions 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.

## Preparation tips

### lists

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

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Data Structures and Algorithms","longDescription":"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.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms Fundamentals. Practice implementations and basic problems."}
- {"title":"Advanced Algorithms","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into more advanced algorithms and problem-solving techniques. Explore dynamic programming, greedy algorithms, recursion, and backtracking. Work on medium-difficulty problems that require combining multiple concepts. Begin practicing coding on a whiteboard or a shared editor.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Advanced Algorithms & Problem Solving. Focus on DP, recursion, and medium problems."}
- {"title":"System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Concentrate on system design. Study concepts like scalability, availability, reliability, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), caching strategies, load balancing, message queues, and API design. Work through common system design case studies and practice designing systems like Twitter feed, URL shortener, or a distributed cache.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: System Design Principles. Study scalability, databases, caching, and APIs."}
- {"title":"Behavioral Preparation","longDescription":"Week 7: Prepare for behavioral interviews. Reflect on past experiences and prepare stories using the STAR method for common behavioral questions related to teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, and handling failure. Also, prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Behavioral Interview Prep. Use STAR method and prepare questions."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews and Review","longDescription":"Week 8: Mock interviews and review. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors to simulate the actual interview environment. Review all topics covered, focusing on areas where you feel less confident. Ensure you can clearly articulate your thought process for both coding and system design problems.","shortDescription":"Week 8: Mock Interviews & Review. Practice and refine answers."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"San Francisco","differences":{"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."],"interviewFocus":["Emphasis on practical application of data structures and algorithms.","Understanding of distributed systems and scalability.","Collaboration and communication skills."],"commonQuestions":["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."]}}
- {"location":"New York","differences":{"tips":["Prepare to discuss trade-offs in system design choices.","Highlight projects where you took initiative and drove results.","Research Yelp's engineering blog for insights into their challenges."],"interviewFocus":["Strong focus on system design and architectural patterns.","Ability to handle ambiguity and make trade-offs.","Demonstrated ownership and impact."],"commonQuestions":["Design an API for a restaurant review system.","How would you optimize a database query for a large dataset?","Describe a situation where you had to adapt to a significant change at work."]}}

## Round 1: Recruiter Call
**Type:** HR Screen · **Difficulty:** Easy · **Duration:** 30 min
HR screen to assess cultural fit and basic qualifications.
This initial round is conducted by an HR representative or recruiter to assess your overall fit with Yelp's culture and values. They will ask about your background, career goals, and motivation for applying. It's also an opportunity for you to learn more about the company and the role. Be prepared to discuss your resume and why you're interested in Yelp.
**Interviewers look for:** Clear communication; Enthusiasm for the role; Basic understanding of software development concepts
**Evaluation criteria:** Basic coding ability; Communication skills; Cultural fit
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of basic coding proficiency.; Inability to explain thought process.; Poor understanding of fundamental data structures.
## Questions

- Tell me about yourself.
- Why are you interested in Yelp?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What are your salary expectations?

## Preparation tips

- Research Yelp's mission, values, and recent news.
- Prepare to talk about your resume and career aspirations.
- Practice answering common behavioral questions.
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewer.

## Round 2: Technical Coding Interview
**Type:** Technical Interview (Data Structures & Algorithms) · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Coding challenge focused on data structures and algorithms.
This is a technical interview focused on data structures and algorithms. You will be asked to solve one or two coding problems, typically on a whiteboard or a shared online editor. The interviewer will assess your ability to choose appropriate data structures, design efficient algorithms, write clean code, and analyze the time and space complexity of your solution. Be prepared to discuss trade-offs and edge cases.
**Interviewers look for:** Correctness of the solution; Efficiency of the solution; Clean and readable code; Ability to explain the thought process; Handling of edge cases
**Evaluation criteria:** Data structures knowledge; Algorithm design; Coding proficiency; Problem-solving approach; Time and space complexity analysis
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to solve coding problems efficiently.; Code is not clean or well-structured.; Poor time complexity analysis.; Difficulty explaining the solution.
## Questions

- Given a binary tree, find its inorder traversal.
- Implement a function to find the kth smallest element in an unsorted array.
- Given two strings, find the longest common subsequence.

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode (focus on Easy/Medium).
- Review common data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, BFS, DFS).
- Practice explaining your thought process out loud while coding.
- Be ready to discuss time and space complexity (Big O notation).

## Round 3: System Design Interview
**Type:** System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 60 min
Design a scalable system and discuss trade-offs.
This round focuses on your ability to design scalable and robust software systems. You'll be given an open-ended problem, such as designing a specific feature or a large-scale system (e.g., a URL shortener, a social media feed). The interviewer will assess your understanding of distributed systems, databases, caching, load balancing, and your ability to make reasoned trade-offs. Be prepared to draw diagrams and explain your design choices.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to design scalable and reliable systems.; Understanding of distributed systems concepts.; Clear communication of design choices.; Consideration of various components (databases, caching, load balancers).; Ability to handle ambiguity and constraints.
**Evaluation criteria:** System design principles; Scalability and performance; Trade-off analysis; Database knowledge; API design; Distributed systems concepts
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of understanding of system design principles.; Inability to handle scale or distributed systems.; Poor trade-off analysis.; Not considering edge cases or failure scenarios.
## Questions

- Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
- Design the Twitter feed system.
- How would you design a system to handle real-time notifications?

## Preparation tips

- Study system design concepts: scalability, availability, consistency, databases (SQL/NoSQL), caching, load balancing, message queues, CDNs.
- Review common system design interview questions and case studies.
- Practice designing systems on paper or a whiteboard.
- Think about potential bottlenecks and failure points in your designs.

## Round 4: Hiring Manager Interview
**Type:** Behavioral and Managerial Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Behavioral questions and discussion about your experience and career goals.
The hiring manager interview focuses on your past experiences, how you approach work, and your potential to contribute to the team. You'll be asked behavioral questions to understand your problem-solving skills, teamwork, leadership potential, and how you handle challenges. This is also your chance to ask in-depth questions about the team's projects, challenges, and the role's responsibilities.
**Interviewers look for:** Evidence of teamwork and collaboration.; Ability to handle challenging situations.; Ownership and accountability for work.; Growth mindset.; Alignment with Yelp's culture.
**Evaluation criteria:** Behavioral competencies; Teamwork and collaboration; Problem-solving approach in past projects; Adaptability and learning; Alignment with Yelp's values
**Common rejection reasons:** Poor communication or collaboration skills.; Lack of ownership or initiative.; Negative attitude.; Mismatch with team dynamics or company culture.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you faced a significant technical challenge and how you overcame it.
- Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult team member.
- How do you prioritize your work when faced with multiple tasks?
- What are you looking for in your next role?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method for behavioral questions.
- Reflect on your past projects and your role in them.
- Think about your career goals and how this role aligns with them.
- Prepare thoughtful questions for the hiring manager.