Handshake Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 79 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Handshake.
Handshake
Software Engineer
Senior Average Negative experience No offer 5 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen
Interview formats
Coding
The interview process kicked off with a recruiter call, and then there were four levels of coding challenges. The technical assessment wasn't great, though. The requirements for each level were really vague, so candidates had to guess a lot to pass the tests instead of having clear instructions. Also, the coding environment was missing basic IDE features like IntelliSense. It felt like a lot of extra work to write complicated, unclear problems without proper editor support. I got through Level 1, but Level 2 was tough to stay motivated with because of the lack of clarity.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Describe how you would implement timestamp-based key-value storage and retrieval.
- How would you modify the key-value storage system to handle priorities and retrieve keys in a sorted order?
Handshake
Software Engineer
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite Background check
Interview formats
Behavioral Coding Technical
The interview process included a recruiter phone screen where we discussed my resume and experience, and how it aligned with the role. Then there was a technical virtual on-site interview, which involved pair programming with two software engineers at Handshake. We had to implement features of a web app using a stack of our choice, with a spec provided beforehand. This part was 1 hour solo and 1 hour of pair programming. Finally, there was a hiring manager screening with two engineering managers, lasting about 45 minutes. Overall, the process was really enjoyable, and everyone was kind and passionate about Handshake's mission. It felt more like conversations, which was positive. I didn't get an offer, but I'd still consider working there because of the culture and mission.
Confirmed questions0 questions
No confirmed questions were included in this interview report.
Handshake
Software Engineer
Mid Average Neutral experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Take home Technical screen Onsite
Interview formats
Coding Technical Behavioral
The interview process was pretty straightforward. It started with an online assessment (OA) that had easy/medium LeetCode problems. After that, there was a technical phone interview where I had to work alone for an hour to add requirements to a take-home assignment for both frontend and backend. Then, I spent another hour with the interviewer discussing my work. The final stage was a hiring manager interview, which focused on talking about my projects. Overall, it was a simple process. However, the hiring manager seemed annoyed and was cold, skipping pleasant introductions and getting straight to the point.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Tell me about your projects.
- How would you add requirements to the take-home assignment?
Handshake Software Engineer Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Handshake interview reports.
“Given two strings and a dictionary of similar words, create a function to determine if the strings are similar, considering identical words or words with the same meaning from the dictionary.”
Read reports →“Can you convert an integer to its word representation? (e.g., 123 becomes 'one hundred and twenty three')”
Read reports →“Can you solve the minimum intervals with weight, with max cut of 1 problem?”
Read reports →“Can you set up a UI to parse a JSON object from a URL?”
Read reports →“How would you write a method to convert a number into its English word equivalent?”
Read report →“How would you modify the key-value storage system to handle priorities and retrieve keys in a sorted order?”
Read report →“Can you build a website where users can set alarms and upvote items?”
Read report →“In the vending machine simulation, how would you implement methods for users to input change and select an item, ensuring these actions are idempotent and can occur in any sequence before the final vending action?”
Read report →“Build a skeleton for the project from scratch before the on-site, and then add more functionality to it on your own and while pairing during the on-site.”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 79 Handshake interview reports.