ExtraHop Networks Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I went through 5 interviews in total. 2 were coding interviews and 3 were general knowledge. None of them were too hard, and I answered all the questions that had a right answer correctly. About a week after I finished the interviews, the recruiter reached out. They asked me to keep my schedule open the next day for 'updates' about my application. Almost 2 hours after the scheduled time, and after I tried following up by email multiple times, I found their number from the start of the process and called. They let it go to voicemail and then called me back to say I wasn't a strong enough candidate but wouldn't give any feedback on how I could improve. After I mentioned that this information could have just been emailed and didn't require blocking out my afternoon, they hung up on me. If Kirsten from ExtraHop contacts you, be careful. I'm not sure what's going on, but this is a terrible way to treat applicants. I've never felt so disrespected by a company.

The hiring process moved fast. Even though I knew I might not be the best fit for this specific role, I applied because it interested me. After a few questions, the interviewer realized I wasn't a perfect match for the position and let me know. They did, however, encourage me to check out other opportunities. About a week after that, I received the official rejection email. There were no lengthy delays or games. If you're applying for a role that aligns with your existing skills, I don't think the questions are overly challenging.

I applied through an external recruiter. First, there was a quick phone interview with the hiring manager. No technical questions, just a general screening. After that, I got two coding assignments to do at home, and I could pick one. The first one was challenging and I liked it; the second was a boring file screening, so I skipped it. Then came a 6-hour onsite interview, with 6 separate 1-hour sessions. Each session included a coding question, some behavioral questions, and a chance to ask about the company. They started with a product overview and then mostly used whiteboard coding tasks. I managed to answer all technical questions on time and often discussed the company as well. You probably meet the whole team and the manager during this onsite. At the end of the last interview, they told me they'd have a meeting the next day to discuss the interviews and I'd hear back by the end of that day. It was a pretty nice experience overall. I was rejected because they seemed unsure about what they wanted in a Senior Software Engineer, appearing to look for more of a mentor/coach for junior roles. Also, their tech stack might soon be replaced by cloud provider tools. But generally, it was a positive experience.