CData Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process felt very unstructured, like lazy homework. It included a recruiter call, an Engineering Manager (EM) interview, one technical interview, and one system design interview. The recruiter changed the order right before the technical interview. When asked about the focus of the technical interview (e.g., framework-specific or LeetCode-style), there was no answer. The technical round was strange, focusing on a TypeScript Express controller review for a C#/Java-heavy role. Despite this, I did well as it was my current stack and received positive feedback. For the system design, when I asked for context, there was again no answer. I was asked about HTTP, how to make an app multi-tenant, and other generic questions. When generic questions are asked, generic answers are received. The interviewer corrected my understanding of their intentions, suggesting they expected mind-reading. These questions seemed too simple even for junior roles. I was expecting STAR-based or similar questions. After 6 rounds, I failed without a clear reason and was ghosted when I asked for feedback. It's a shady process, and I recommend looking elsewhere as new hires seem overlooked. The motivation behind this is unclear.

We'll start with a friendly intro to make you feel comfortable. I'll then explain what this interview is all about, how we'll run things, and what you can expect. We've got some prepared questions to get a good sense of your background, skills, how you tackle problems, and if you'd vibe with the team. We also like to ask behavioral questions to see how you've handled stuff before, which helps us guess how you might do in the future.

The interview process was quite enjoyable and uncomplicated. English is the primary language used, so German proficiency isn't a requirement. The questions and tasks were a mix of easy and challenging, focusing on practical aspects of the job, which is a plus compared to overly theoretical or algorithmic questions. It started with a pleasant HR interview covering standard questions. This was followed by a technical interview that delved into core Java, multithreading, Hibernate, and the internal workings of database management systems. The next stage involved a technically interesting task: fixing two bugs in the Java source code within a provided virtual machine environment of their product. While not overly complex, the codebase itself was quite intricate. The final step was the offer interview, where negotiations were possible, and they offered very good benefits, including ample paid vacation.