Depop Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was pretty easygoing compared to other software engineer roles. First, there was a competency-based interview focusing on how well you interact with people. Then, a second stage technical interview involved a live coding task.

I was contacted by the internal recruiter on cord.co for a Software Engineer role focusing on Python with an interest in learning Scala, as they plan to break down their Django monolith into Scala micro-services. I applied because I have a mild interest in Scala. The first step was a phone chat with the head of technology, covering my past experience and general software engineering topics. I inquired about the Scala micro-services plan and the learning path for Scala, but the answers were vague, suggesting personal development time might be used for learning, which I felt was insufficient and might require personal time. After this, I underwent a pair programming challenge with two Senior Python Engineers from the scalability team. The task involved adding endpoints to a Django REST framework app and writing tests. Despite limited Django experience, I found it manageable and completed the coding within the time limit, though I initially had an inefficient method that was pointed out. One interviewer's reaction to my refactoring felt a bit intense. Following the coding exercise, there were more questions, and I asked about the Scala transition again, receiving unenthusiastic responses and no clear reasoning for the shift (performance, trend, politics?). During the cultural fit interview, the post-covid work plan was discussed, with a possibility of a hybrid approach but no firm decision. It's been a week since the interview, and I haven't heard back, even after following up with the recruiter. This lack of feedback suggests it might be company policy. While the company initially seemed interesting, I now feel they lack clear vision and communication. I'm marking this experience as negative due to these issues.

The interview had a live coding session with two people from the company, then a principal engineer asked some questions, and then there was a culture fit part with HR.