Olo Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process wasn't too bad, mostly pretty chill. After applying, I got an automated coding challenge that was really quick and simple, supposed to take about 30 mins. About a week later, I had a relaxed chat with an Engineering Manager about me and Olo. Then, I met with two devs, a Senior and a Staff Engineer. It felt a bit scripted, and they focused on a past experience instead of my current one, which was odd. The Staff engineer gave me a weird vibe, making me less interested in the company, and I didn't expect another interview. The next interview was a technical one with a Principal and Senior Engineer. I'm not a fan of timed technical interviews, and I don't think I did great. It was still laid-back, but it's tough to explain your thought process while coding. I prefer TDD, which wasn't possible here. The problem was an old bug, which was kinda cool and unique. After the technical part, they asked how I thought I did, and I said it wasn't production-ready. We then talked about next steps and edge cases, and briefly about my current experiences. I wasn't offered the job; I already had another offer with a deadline and wanted to see if they'd make one. Maybe I rushed them into a 'no.' I'm not upset, though; after that second interview, I didn't really see myself working there anymore.

I applied and right away got a coding test to do in a week. After I sent it in, I waited a week and a half to hear back. Then, I got a video call for an hour with the head of Engineering, which was just a casual chat about culture fit, not technical. They said I passed that. A couple weeks later, I had a 2-hour technical interview with 2 engineers where they asked about my resume and experience, plus some technical stuff. About a week after that, I heard I was in the final round: live coding with 2 more engineers. They gave me a problem and wanted to see me code it while explaining my thought process, focusing on how I solve problems, not just if I got the right answer. A few days after that, they called with an offer, and I had a quick chat with the head of Engineering about it. I accepted the offer. The whole thing was pretty smooth, everyone was nice and helpful. I did have a hiccup that made things take longer, but they were really flexible and worked with me on scheduling.

I was asked to do a coding challenge and I completed it, thinking I did well. However, after reviewing my resume and the challenge, they decided to go with other candidates. I feel their process is a waste of time and a serious engineer would be better off looking elsewhere. It seems like all the reviews are similar, with little to no feedback on the coding challenge and they move candidates forward even if they don't really intend to consider them.