SemanticBits Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I had two phone interviews. The first was a standard phone screening, which was professional and went well. The second was a technical screening, which was less professional. I was put on hold three times, the interviewer's communication wasn't great, I struggled to hear and understand him, and he didn't understand my questions. We were both relieved when it ended. I got rejected about an hour after the technical screening. While I didn't advance, I agree with others that the process feels a bit questionable.

It was a good and fast process. First, an HR phone screen, then a technical phone screen. After that, I had a video call where I did a technical challenge in front of two developers. I thought their process and questions were fair, and everyone was friendly. By fair, I mean that although I'm a competent developer, I don't spend my free time doing leetcode, and I was happy their questions were more like what a normal developer does daily. I got a better offer from a bigger company that they couldn't match, but it's not their fault - I would have accepted their offer if I didn't have the other opportunity at the same time.

There were three interviews in total: HR Phone Screen, Technical Phone Screen, and a Live Coding Session. The HR Phone Screen was the first interview, lasting about 30 minutes. It was very professional and focused on basic questions to check genuine interest and fit for the role. I heard back about scheduling the next interview within an hour. The Technical Phone Screen was with another developer, focusing on technical aptitude. They asked typical questions like, 'What's a cool project you've been working on recently - tell me about the technologies used,' to understand where to direct further technical questions. This interview was professional yet relaxed. I got a response about scheduling the final live coding interview within a couple of hours. The Live Coding Session was a 90-minute session with senior/principal engineers. We jumped straight into coding after joining the meeting. They had their questions ready, and I had three exercises: a programming competition problem, a problem to test language knowledge, and a real-world exercise in a provided template project. This was the most enjoyable interview, as the interviewers were professional but felt like fellow developers. My advice is to remember they're just people and developers asking questions. It's okay to make mistakes; just keep going and explain your thought process. I received my offer the next business day, and HR was great to work with throughout.