Sensor Tower Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I had a terrible interview experience. It started with a Codility test which I aced. Then I was scheduled to speak with the hiring manager. Before that, I asked the recruiter what to expect, and they said it would be a casual chat about my resume and some problem-solving. However, on the day of the interview, the hiring manager was 30 minutes late. When he finally showed up, we immediately jumped into a virtual whiteboarding session on Google Docs. He didn't ask anything about my background or projects, nor did we discuss the company or role. I wasn't prepared for live whiteboarding, as I don't practice Leetcode much, and I find it hard to perform under pressure. The manager seemed surprised, and I mentioned the recruiter's misleading information. He offered another chance, possibly with another Codility test, but I was ultimately rejected.

I applied via Stack Overflow and the initial step was a recruiter phone screen. After that, I received a take-home assignment in Ruby, which was to build a CSV parser. Once that was submitted, I had a 1-hour phone call with an engineer. I thought this would be a general technical discussion, but it turned out to be a live coding session, which I wasn't explicitly told about beforehand. The engineer sent a CoderPad link, and we started with the first coding problem: grouping anagrams. I finished that quickly, and then we moved to a second coding problem. While I was setting up the structure for the second problem, the engineer wanted to discuss a key implementation detail extensively. It felt more like an evaluation of my ability to discuss and communicate technical concepts rather than finding a specific solution. With very little time left, the engineer suggested using an external library for the problem, which seemed to contradict the idea of solving it from scratch. In the final few minutes, I was given the opportunity to ask questions about the company, which was also the only chance to ask technical questions. The engineer didn't ask me anything about my background or experience, not even at the start of the call. I followed up the next day and heard back from the recruiter who sheepishly explained that the engineer felt my skills weren't up to par for a senior role.

I applied via referral. First, there was a recruiter phone screen, then a take-home coding challenge. After that, I had an on-site product demo, and then a full day of on-site interviews. The whole experience with Sensor Tower's engineering recruiting team was amazing. The recruiters and interviewers were attentive, engaging, and the whole process felt really personal. A couple things I really liked: the recruiters took the time to get to know me and found common ground to connect with the company culture. The interview process was collaborative; they actively asked how they could make me feel comfortable in the office. They also had an open lunch where I could meet more of the team in a relaxed setting, but introverts could also opt out to recharge privately. It was clear they value their team dynamics. The offer was very good from the beginning, and negotiating the offer felt like a fair and open discussion. Honestly, Sensor Tower is the first place I'd look to work again.