DICE Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process started with a chat with the hiring manager about my background and the specifics of the role. It was a pretty chill conversation. Next up, I had a technical discussion with two engineers from the Android team where we went deeper into my experience. They hinted at what they were looking for in the next stage. Then, I was given a take-home assignment. It involved building a search screen and a details screen using a music API. Apparently, the main reason I didn't pass was my failure to modularize the application, which they felt indicated I couldn't handle a large codebase. They didn't specify the expected time commitment for the take-home test, and there was no opportunity to defend my choices or discuss future improvements. I think a live coding session might be a better fit for this type of task, as it requires less effort upfront and at least allows for immediate feedback and clarification.

Had two intro calls with HR/Talent Acquisition. Then a 45-min tech interview with Senior Engineers and a Lead where we talked about my experience, projects, and architecture. After that, I had a tech task to complete within 7 days, with an option for extension. They wanted the code on a private GitHub repo. I was expecting code review feedback, but HR sent an email with feedback and no way to discuss it. The feedback was that I didn't use DB transactions for a single-table, single-row update, and that the codebase was hard to follow due to abstraction for a small task. I wrote tests and added future improvement suggestions in the README, explaining why I didn't need more than two tables. I suspect they didn't even run the code, getting stuck on the DB transaction point.

The interview process included a 30-minute phone screening with HR. This was followed by a 45-minute technical interview where I was asked various technical questions, some of which were low-level, requiring review of computing, network, and database fundamentals. Although I couldn't answer all of them, I explained my understanding of how things work. The interview was conducted onsite but can be remote. Next, there was a coding challenge. The final stage was an onsite interview, starting with 1.5 hours with engineers. This involved a code review of the coding challenge and evolved into an architecture design exercise. Afterwards, I met with product managers to discuss team communication, workflow, and other non-technical aspects. The interactions were positive throughout, with the team being supportive and transparent. I'd encourage asking questions. I provided feedback on areas for improvement, like the coding challenge, and they seemed keen on making changes.