Headway (NY) Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The process was very transparent, scheduling was easy, and the recruiters I worked with were persistently responsive. I always knew what was happening next and received quick feedback after all interviews. First, you will have a phone screening / introductory call. Then, you will have a technical interview, followed by a code design interview, followed by a behavioral screening. Finally, if you pass all these, a recruiter will speak with a reference (past boss)

After an initial email from a Headway recruiter, the entire interview process spanned about 2-3 weeks from first contact to receiving an offer. It followed a pretty standard path: first, a recruiter screen with basic questions about the role, my background, and career aspirations. Then, a basic tech screen featuring a practical problem, not a LeetCode-style one, doable in any programming language. This was followed by a three-part 'final interview' that could be completed all at once or spread over a few days. Part one involved a systems design interview, where I had to design an app similar to Airbnb, focusing on 'startup scale' and primarily on modeling and API design rather than deep architecture. Part two was a typical behavioral interview with 'tell me about a time...' questions. Part three was another coding interview, not significantly harder than the tech screen, but required using either Python or JavaScript. Finally, there were two reference checks and optional meetings to learn more about the company. The whole experience was quite smooth, and my recruiter was very communicative throughout. Everyone I met was friendly and approachable, seeming genuinely happy to work at Headway. I felt the interview rounds were fairly challenging and focused on practical skills relevant to the job.

The interviewer reached out expressing interest, suggesting I might be a good fit. The initial interview was described as a collaborative, back-and-forth technical leetcode interview, but it turned out to be quite different. The interviewer seemed uninterested and didn't offer any feedback during the session, even though my code passed all test cases, I asked clarifying questions, and considered edge cases. At the end, I asked some questions. After waiting four days for a response (without updates from the recruiter until I followed up), I received an email stating I was not being considered. While the people were nice, the lack of communication from both the recruiter and interviewer felt unprofessional.