Index Exchange Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview started with a recruiter call, which was pretty nice. We talked about my background and what I'm looking for. They also gave me an overview of the technical interviews. The technical part involved system design questions, using made-up situations, and discussing the good and bad points, plus some follow-up questions about scaling.

The interview process lasted for about 3 months, with around 6 or 7 rounds, though I can't recall the exact number. While I didn't get the job, which is fine, the process itself was quite unclear and lacked decisive decision-making. Unlike other interviews where decisions are made progressively, here they waited until the very end, which suggests a poor decision-making flow, possibly with only one person having the final say. There weren't even fixed interview rounds; they could add a random one, and it could be onsite. I had two onsite rounds, and it felt like my time wasn't highly valued. The staff were very kind, and I appreciated them showing me around the office, but honestly, if I'm not working there, I don't need to know all that. While the kindness was nice, it wasn't essential. Overall, it seemed like the management was indecisive and inefficient. Hiring should be much simpler in today's job market.

It was a long and complicated process. There were too many screening calls with different middle managers, and a crazy take-home assignment that expected a week of my time. It ended with a full-day onsite interview with people from various departments. I had to jump through a lot of hoops. I did get an offer, but the culture wasn't for me.