BetterHelp Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process kicked off with a 1-2 hour coding quiz featuring some pretty straightforward prompts, though the timed aspect added a bit of pressure. Following that, there was a 30-minute culture interview, a one-on-one chat focusing on work culture and technical skills, which they really emphasized in the first two stages. The main event was a 6-hour, three-part coding challenge. The first hour was for understanding the prompt and asking questions, then four hours to tackle the challenge itself, and finally, a one-hour session to discuss what I came up with. I noticed some red flags during this third part. Despite the initial emphasis on work culture and expertise, this challenge involved essentially rebuilding core components like an ORM or DBAL under a tight deadline, with no clear reason why, suggesting potential issues with their own database performance or structure. Also, they initially requested I do this 6-hour interview on a Monday or Tuesday via an email received on a Saturday, which felt quite inconsiderate and desperate. It seemed like they prioritized very specific, obscure database knowledge over good coding practices or functional prototypes, leaning more towards a database architect role than a senior engineer. For instance, when asked about query performance, I offered over five different SQL solutions, but they kept probing for one very specific, non-query-specific answer they had in mind. This felt like being tested on easily searchable facts rather than having my code analyzed. Another oddity was the tech stack – initially presented as React/JS frontend with a LAMP stack, the challenge barely touched React or JS, focusing almost entirely on PHP and specific database architecture. No frontend or markup questions were asked. It felt like you either needed prior specific knowledge of their 'wheels' or would end up writing 'gross code' due to the time constraints. I wouldn't recommend this process for a senior engineer unless they were specifically targeting a database architect position.

The whole interview process was really fast and they got back to me quickly. I did a tech screen first, which was with one of those online coding test things and it lasted about an hour. Then I had three more interviews. First was a chat with the hiring manager. Then there was a half-day session where I did some coding with the hiring manager and another team member. After that, I had a talk with a Director I'd be working with, this one wasn't about coding. The last interview was with a bunch of Directors and the Founders. It was all pretty chill and everyone was nice. Honestly, the whole thing took way less time than any other place I interviewed at.

The interview process was pretty good. First, I had a chat with the hiring manager about my background. Then, there was a second round with the hiring manager and an engineer. They asked me to design and code a simple app. After the call, they gave me 5 hours to complete it. It wasn't super hard, but if you lack full-stack experience, it might be tough on time. The third round involved a presentation on how to improve their product. I passed all that and moved to the offer stage. They gave me an offer, and I asked for 20k more. They said no negotiations, and trying to counteroffer means you're out. Overall, the interview process is fine, and I liked the hiring manager. But I think they designed it to minimize their effort in testing skills, allowing them to interview more people.