Opera Software Interview Questions
& Process

I didn't even apply for this role, I was contacted on LinkedIn. After sending my resume, I had a quick chat with HR, then interviewed with team members and the project manager. The vibe was chill and the questions weren't hard, but honestly, it felt like they already picked someone and were just going through the motions. Save yourself the time, you'll wait ages, get rejected, and see the same job posted for months. They keep interviewing for fun, but don't hire outsiders.

I applied for summer internships at Opera in Gothenburg and it was a really weird process. I did a personality and logic test, acing the logic part. Then I had an initial call, which was odd because I didn't know what it was about. I emailed the interviewer for info since it was scheduled for an hour, but got no reply. I was prepared, but the call just turned out to be them telling me they'd have a coding test and to get ready. It felt like a waste of my time since they could have just emailed me this info. After that, I took the coding test and solved all the problems. Then, there was silence for about a month before I got a rejection letter. The whole recruitment process felt strange, and I question the value of the personality, logic, and coding tests, as I doubt they were the basis for hiring. It was a waste of my time.

So, I went through this interview process, and honestly, while they were professional, the end result was a bummer. Here's how it went down: First, there were these tests from an outside company – a personality one with 120 questions and a logic test with 20. Then HR gave me a pre-screening call. After that, I had a Codility online test. Next up was a technical interview with the team and the Tech Lead, followed by a management interview with the same folks. They did reference checks through HR. Then I had a casual chat with the Engineering Director, and finally, I discussed the offer with the Team Lead. The big problem was, even though I aced everything, the final offer was way less than what HR initially mentioned. They said it was because of 'salary standards in Sweden's IT market,' which is kinda whack because they should've known that earlier. If our salary expectations didn't match their budget, they should've just ended the process then instead of wasting everyone's time. They talk about having a strong culture, but nobody owned up to this screw-up between HR and the hiring team. A simple 'sorry' would've been nice. So, if you're thinking about Opera, just know that what HR tells you about salary might not be what you actually get. The interviews are solid, and the team is good, but there's clearly a disconnect on pay. It can be a huge waste of time, especially if you're moving internationally. I'd say go for it only if you sort out salary directly with the hiring team, not just HR, or you'll end up with a lowball offer after a long process.

Had like a one hour talk about my pet projects, previous experience and some past challenges, then solved graph problems on the whiteboard with coding and had a system design discussion. The whole process was pretty positive and easygoing.