Skip to contentSkip to footer

Software Engineer Interviews

Salaries
Interviews

Software Engineer Interview Questions

Software engineers write programs to design and develop computer software. Interviews are highly technical, so come ready to work through coding problems and math brainteasers. The specific questions you are asked will depend on what type of programming position you are looking for. Try researching a specific software discipline such as web development, application development, or system development.

Top Software Engineer Interview Questions & How to Answer

Question 1

Question #1: How would you describe your programming task process?

How to answer
How to answer: When answering a question about your process or life cycle for software development and engineering, it's helpful to consider every step, beginning with obtaining the requirements for the end product. Include as much detail as possible to help the interviewer learn more about any work you've done as a software engineer and how you handle a task to show your ability to tackle a project from start to finish.
Question 2

Question #2: Which programming languages do you know and prefer?

How to answer
How to answer: An interviewer will want to know what programming languages you're familiar with, as well as which languages you prefer. This question doesn't necessarily have a right or wrong answer, but it does provide insights into your capabilities and coding expertise. If the job listing for which you are interviewing includes specific language knowledge preferences, make sure to include them when outlining the software languages you know.
Question 3

Question 3: What is an example of a successful project that you completed?

How to answer
How to answer: When describing your success with a past project, it's helpful to identify aspects of the project that went well and detail the different task list elements. You can describe the team with whom you worked on the project, how you managed your time, and how you specifically contributed to the project.

419,183 software engineer interview questions shared by candidates

You have one billion numbers, implement getRandom() which returns a random number from them. Constaints: 1. No duplicate returning value. 2. getRandom() will at most be invoked 100 million times. Then optimize for space.
avatar

Software Engineer

Interviewed at Tripadvisor

3.5★
Jan 11, 2010

You have one billion numbers, implement getRandom() which returns a random number from them. Constaints: 1. No duplicate returning value. 2. getRandom() will at most be invoked 100 million times. Then optimize for space.

I was asked to write a program to find common items between 2 lists.I used java to write the program. I wrote the program which was iterating the smaller array list and used contains. The Hiring manager argues with me saying that the code is not efficient enough because 'contains' method on arraylist would lead to o(n) and that would result in O(m*N)(which is incorrect) In the interview, I was not able to google it and I was taken aback when he was talking so assertively as I assumed that he understands java. However, after I hung up the phone I realized that I am indeed right and that the algorithm I created was very efficient. The interviewer came to the interview with a view to reject me. Its a waste of time. They should let subject mattter experts do the interviews, not the people with background in c/C++ interview java guys or the other way round. The hiring manager seemed very professorial background. I tried to tell recruiter to let them know the problem, but I do not think even she has any clue on how to approach.
avatar

Senior Software Engineer

Interviewed at Tripadvisor

3.5★
Feb 5, 2015

I was asked to write a program to find common items between 2 lists.I used java to write the program. I wrote the program which was iterating the smaller array list and used contains. The Hiring manager argues with me saying that the code is not efficient enough because 'contains' method on arraylist would lead to o(n) and that would result in O(m*N)(which is incorrect) In the interview, I was not able to google it and I was taken aback when he was talking so assertively as I assumed that he understands java. However, after I hung up the phone I realized that I am indeed right and that the algorithm I created was very efficient. The interviewer came to the interview with a view to reject me. Its a waste of time. They should let subject mattter experts do the interviews, not the people with background in c/C++ interview java guys or the other way round. The hiring manager seemed very professorial background. I tried to tell recruiter to let them know the problem, but I do not think even she has any clue on how to approach.

Viewing 1021 - 1030 interview questions

Glassdoor has 419,183 interview questions and reports from Software engineer interviews. Prepare for your interview. Get hired. Love your job.