Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerSoftware EngineerMedium to Hard

The Zendesk Software Engineer interview process is designed to assess a candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, cultural fit, and potential for growth within the company. It typically involves multiple rounds, starting with an initial screening and progressing through technical assessments and interviews with hiring managers and team members.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·0 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$90000 - US$150000

Interview time·210 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Algorithmic thinking
  • Data structure knowledge
  • Code quality and efficiency
  • System design capabilities
  • Understanding of software development best practices

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental data structures and algorithms.
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or Coderbyte.
  3. Understand common system design principles and trade-offs.
  4. Prepare to discuss your past projects and experiences in detail, focusing on your contributions and learnings.
  5. Research Zendesk's products, values, and engineering culture.
  6. Prepare questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company.
  7. Practice behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

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 20-30 problems.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, recursion). Practice implementing these from scratch and analyze their time and space complexity. Solve at least 20-30 problems related to these topics.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Tell me about a time you faced a challenging technical problem and how you solved it.
  • How would you design a system to handle real-time chat for millions of users?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses as a software engineer?
  • Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult team member.
  • How do you stay updated with the latest technologies and trends in software development?
  • Explain the concept of RESTful APIs and their principles.
  • What is the difference between a process and a thread?
  • How would you optimize the performance of a slow database query?
  • Describe a project you are particularly proud of and your role in it.
  • What are your career aspirations for the next 3-5 years?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

San Francisco

Interview focus

Emphasis on distributed systems and cloud-native technologies (AWS, Kubernetes).Strong focus on practical problem-solving and debugging skills in a cloud environment.Assessment of experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.Understanding of data structures and algorithms relevant to large-scale systems.

Common questions

  • How would you handle a sudden surge in user traffic on our platform?
  • Describe a time you had to debug a complex production issue. What was your approach?
  • What are your thoughts on microservices architecture and its trade-offs?
  • How do you ensure the scalability and reliability of the software you build?
  • Tell me about a challenging project you worked on and how you overcame obstacles.

Tips

  • Familiarize yourself with AWS services and common cloud design patterns.
  • Be prepared to discuss your experience with containerization and orchestration.
  • Highlight any contributions to open-source projects or community involvement.
  • Showcase your ability to work in an agile environment and collaborate effectively.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Zendesk.

Frequently reported on Zendesk loops

View all at Zendesk

Other guides

More at Zendesk.