Nordstrom Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 142 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Nordstrom.
Nordstrom
Software Engineer
Mid Average Negative experience No offer 5 rounds
Interview process
Phone screen Technical screen Panel Group Onsite Technical screen
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral Coding System Design
I had a phone screen which was pretty standard. After that, there was a loop of four interviews. This loop included an architecture panel, then two behavioral interviews, followed by two interviews that were LeetCode-style coding problems, one of which involved a sorting algorithm.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Did you have questions about implementing sorting algorithms?
Nordstrom
Software Engineer
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 5 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite Background check Offer
Interview formats
Technical System Design Behavioral
The online assessment was pretty basic. After getting feedback on that, I had 5 interview rounds all on the same day: recruiter call, technical, system design, behavioral, and finally the hiring manager.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- A medium LeetCode interval question was asked.
- The systems design interview focused mainly on database design.
- Behavioral interviews included many standard, repeated questions.
Nordstrom
Software Engineer
Mid Average Positive experience No offer 8 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Technical screen Onsite Onsite Onsite Onsite Onsite
Interview formats
Behavioral Coding System Design Technical Behavioral Technical
HR reached out to start things off. First, there was an HR screen, about an hour long, covering your resume, the job details, and salary expectations. Then, a 30-minute session with the hiring manager that included a short coding problem, and a 30-minute session with an engineer for a mix of behavioral/culture fit and a medium coding question, with time for Q&A at the end. After that, I went through a virtual onsite with 5 rounds. Round 3 was Architecture and Design, where I got a system design question and had to ask clarifying questions, talk about tradeoffs, and draw diagrams. Round 4 focused on Quality and Instrumentation, with questions about testing and QA, and discussions about how I've tested past projects. Round 5 was about Engineering Practices, about 15 minutes on how I handle them in my current role, followed by a 45-minute coding challenge with an engineer. Round 6 was Nordstrom fit/technical, with resume questions and a lot of 'how would you handle situation X, Y, Z...' type questions, plus what I look for in code reviews and understanding best software practices. We ran out of time, so the short coding part of this round didn't happen. Round 7 was with the Sr Hiring Manager, no technical stuff, just be ready to explain past experiences and answer behavioral questions about teamwork, conflict resolution, and what you're looking for in your next role. It was a good experience overall, and I get why there were so many rounds, though I didn't love answering the same resume questions multiple times to different interviewers.
Confirmed questions1 question
- What's your motivation for wanting to join Nordstrom?
Nordstrom Software Engineer Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Nordstrom interview reports.
“If you had 7 letters, could you form a specific word, similar to a Scrabble scenario?”
Read reports →“The problem involves Scrabble. If you're given a collection of letter tiles and a specific word, how would you write a function to check if that word can be formed using the provided tiles?”
Read reports →“What methods would you use to reduce costs associated with S3 buckets?”
Read reports →“Can you explain the difference between a Senior Software Engineer and a Software Engineer?”
Read reports →“How do you handle querying over large datasets and design APIs to best handle a large number of records?”
Read report →“Can you describe how you would architect a system like Twitter, detailing each level?”
Read report →“What issues do you see with this provided code snippet, and how would you go about correcting them?”
Read report →“Can you explain hash tables and linked lists, and then design a music player with options to add/delete/replay/pause songs and stop playlist A if playlist B has started?”
Read report →“What technologies and tools do you use for coding, such as operating systems, editors, and debuggers, that enhance your efficiency?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 142 Nordstrom interview reports.