Illumina Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process starts with an HR screening, then there's an online coding test with three scenario-based questions. After that, there's a team call where they ask technical questions, and finally, you go to the office for an in-person interview with the managers.

In 2022, after I applied, I was asked to do a take-home assignment and then had a virtual interview. The role I applied for was A, but they put me in for B, saying a manager thought I might fit another dev team. I didn't do well in that interview because I hadn't prepared much. I reapplied for position A in 2023, but HR rejected me, saying I lacked the necessary experience.

The interview process started with a HireView, followed by a recruiter call, then a hiring manager call to check my background. After that, there was a final loop of 4-5 interviews with the entire team. I wouldn't want to waste my time interviewing with them again because some parts felt unprofessional. The recruiter asked questions that were already covered in the HireView, which made me wonder why the extra step. One interviewer seemed unprepared and even asked incorrect questions, like he wasn't sure of the answers himself. However, the other interviewers and the manager were nice. The most frustrating part was the lack of response from the recruiter to my follow-up emails after the final round. I eventually got an automated rejection email after 4 weeks, which felt soul-crushing given the time invested. While I get that companies might not provide feedback due to high volume, an automated rejection doesn't feel respectful of a candidate's time. This isn't the first time either; I had a similar experience before where the recruiter ghosted me after the final interview and sent an automated rejection. As a software engineer, I understand automation, but communication about interview outcomes shouldn't be automated; it's a moral obligation to inform candidates properly.