Infinera Staff Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 5 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Infinera.
Infinera
Staff Engineer
Staff Difficult Positive experience Accept offer 5 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Onsite Onsite Offer
Interview formats
Technical Coding Behavioral
I got referred by someone and went through 2 phone interviews, one with the Hiring Manager and another purely technical. Then I was invited for an onsite interview with 5 people who conducted 1:1 technical interviews focusing on C/C++ and OS concepts, plus some whiteboard exercises. About a week later, I had another onsite interview with 4 people. This one was similar but didn't include a coding challenge or session. A week after that, I received a decent offer, which I accepted without negotiation as it met my expectations. The overall experience was good, and the interviewers were friendly and provided hints when needed.
Confirmed questions5 questions
- What are your C/C++ concepts?
- Explain the virtual concept in C++.
- How do you reverse a string?
Infinera
Staff Software Engineer
Staff Difficult Positive experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite
Interview formats
Technical Coding Behavioral
Got the interview through a referral so it was quick. The interviews are really in-depth, taking at least 6 hours, but they cover fundamental programming concepts in C and C++ and core OS ideas like semaphores and deadlocks. Brushing up on these would be helpful. Most of the questions focus on data structures like linked lists, bit manipulation, and string manipulation like reversal. The interviewers were friendly and made me feel comfortable.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Can you explain how an assert statement functions, and in what scenarios would a signal be employed?
- Could you explain the mechanism of an assert statement and the appropriate use cases for signals?
Infinera
Staff Software Engineer
Staff Average Positive experience Accept offer 7 rounds
Interview process
Phone screen Presentation Onsite
Interview formats
Technical Presentation System Design
First, a phone interview. Then, an onsite presentation where you show your domain expertise or interesting work. After that, there are five one-on-one rounds. You can do this all in one full day, or split it across two days.
Confirmed questions5 questions
- Can you explain tree node deletion in data structures?
- What is a circular buffer in data structures?
- Describe the RTOS priority ceiling problem.
Infinera Staff Software Engineer Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Infinera interview reports.
“How do you reverse a string?”
Read reports →“What is a circular buffer in data structures?”
Read reports →“Describe the RTOS priority ceiling problem.”
Read reports →“Explain the virtual concept in C++.”
Read reports →“Can you explain tree node deletion in data structures?”
Read report →“Could you explain the mechanism of an assert statement and the appropriate use cases for signals?”
Read report →“Can you explain how an assert statement functions, and in what scenarios would a signal be employed?”
Read report →“Can you solve problems using bit manipulation?”
Read report →“What are your C/C++ concepts?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 5 Infinera interview reports.