Alan Software Engineer interviews, decoded.

They asked LeetCode-style problems about arrays and strings, like Trapping Rain Water, Anagram, and Longest Repeating Character. It was all about how you solve problems, if you get the concepts, explaining things theoretically, and talking about some basic system design ideas.

I applied through the company's portal and had to answer some open-ended questions. Then, I was supposed to have a screening call, where I was told that reading company blogs is the best prep. However, nobody showed up for my screening call, so it had to be rescheduled. During the rescheduled call, the engineer hadn't even read my CV, as they didn't know I'm currently unemployed. They did send a personalized rejection email though.

The interview process is detailed on their website, and it aligned with expectations. My main frustration is with some European companies, especially in France, where interviews seem to turn into a test of how much you're willing to excessively please the company. You're not just interviewing for a job; you're expected to demonstrate how much you desire that specific company. They'll ask how you exemplify their company values, and you even need to research in advance and figure out their preferred question-answering style. They don't provide any guidance, so it's up to you to waste your time figuring out the 'Alan way'.