Mid Level Engineer

Software EngineerP3Medium to Hard

The Zillow Mid-Level Software Engineer (P3) interview process is designed to assess a candidate's technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, system design skills, and cultural fit within the company. The process typically involves multiple rounds, starting with an initial HR screening, followed by several technical interviews, and concluding with a hiring manager or senior leadership discussion.

Rounds·5

Timeline·~14d

Experience·3 - 7 yrs

Comp band·US$120000 - US$160000

Interview time·210 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

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

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 Coderbyte, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  3. Study system design principles and common architectural patterns.
  4. Prepare to discuss past projects in detail, focusing on your contributions and challenges.
  5. Research Zillow's products, mission, and values.
  6. Practice behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
  7. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer 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: DSA fundamentals and practice (2-3 problems/day).

Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, heaps, sorting, searching, dynamic programming, and recursion. Practice implementing these and analyzing their time and space complexity. Aim for 2-3 coding problems per day.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
  • Design a system to shorten URLs.
  • Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate. How did you handle it?
  • How would you design a real-time notification system?
  • Explain the difference between a process and a thread.
  • Describe a complex technical problem you solved.
  • How do you ensure the scalability of your code?
  • What are the trade-offs between REST and GraphQL?
  • Tell me about a project you are particularly proud of.
  • How would you implement a cache for a web application?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Seattle, WA

Interview focus

Understanding of local real estate market nuances.Ability to adapt technical solutions to regional requirements.Communication skills tailored to diverse teams.

Common questions

  • How would you design a real estate listing platform for a specific city?
  • Discuss a time you had to deal with a difficult stakeholder in a project.
  • Explain the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases for a real estate data warehousing solution.

Tips

  • Research Zillow's presence and operations in the specific city.
  • Be prepared to discuss how technology impacts local real estate.
  • Highlight any experience working with geographically distributed teams.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Zillow.

Frequently reported on Zillow loops

Other guides

More at Zillow.