NextRoll Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

A recruiter reached out to me on linkedin. Then there was a phone screen and a 1-hour live coding session. The recruiter was pretty nice, even though he was a bit slow to follow up after the technical interview. The developer doing the technical interview, however, had a really bad attitude and a huge ego. It was weird because this company is much smaller than mine. I thought people at smaller companies would be nicer, but it was the opposite. His attitude was so off-putting that I knew within 10 minutes that it was a no-go, regardless of my solution. Oh well, I wouldn't want to work with a team of people with only 2-5 years of experience and such massive egos. They're smart, sure, but I've known way smarter people who were also kind!

I was looking for companies and found AdRoll on some 'promising companies' lists. Ad-tech companies work on problems I find interesting (AI, Big Data, back-end systems) so I applied. A recruiter contacted me quickly, and we set up a short phone screen to discuss my interests and the company. After that, there were two technical phone screens with engineers. The first was with a software engineer and involved coding on a collaborative editor (stypi/collabedit). The second was with a data scientist, and we discussed streaming algorithms for sampling and analysis (no coding, just talking). Following the technical screens, I chatted briefly with the CEO about the company (including a short technical question), and then they brought me out to SF. I had 4 onsite technical interviews covering algorithms and system design. The interviewers were relaxed and honest when I asked questions about the company. Later, the CEO took me to lunch and I asked him about the company, equity, valuations, and AdRoll’s strategy/competitors since I don't know much about start-ups. It was great to hear the CEO’s viewpoint. That same night, my recruiter called with an offer. I was impressed with the company and people, and the offer was good, so I accepted.

The recruiter, Richa, reached out on LinkedIn and we chatted briefly about the role and my background. The interview process went like this: First, there was a 1-hour technical interview with the hiring manager and a team member. Then, they quickly set up 4 more interviews that covered system design, technical expertise, previous experience, and how I work. They were really quick to decide and extend an offer. The recruiter and hiring manager were super helpful explaining the offer details and why NextRoll is a great company.