Smoothstack Interview Questions
& Process

You'll get an assessment with 3 coding challenges. You can use any language for the first one, the second is an SQL problem, and the third must be done in Bash. There are also some multiple choice questions about Python.

So first there was a screening, like a 15-minute call with a recruiter. Then there was a technical test, kind of like hackerrank, but on Zoom where I had to explain my project. Finally, a 30-minute technical interview where I showed my project and they asked some normal interview questions, like when you've failed before.

I went through a coding assessment that was pretty easy if you're familiar with leetcode, and you should be up to date with bash and sql. After passing that, I attended a 30-minute seminar. It feels like a waste of time because they rejected me after I attended the seminar, where they just asked if I was willing to relocate and if the job still sounded good to me, to which I said yes to both.

So, their interview process is quite thorough. It begins with a coding challenge, then moves to a phone interview, and finally a technical interview. I made it to the technical interview stage, but unfortunately, I didn't get an offer to proceed further. The initial coding challenge was relatively straightforward if you've got some basic coding experience and can grasp new things quickly. I encountered questions on C++, bash, and MySQL. I hadn't worked with MySQL before taking the test, but I managed to complete it just by using the documentation as a reference. The phone interview was pretty standard, so I'll skip over the details. For the technical interview, I was asked some technical questions and then asked to present and demonstrate a project I had coded. The questions covered general programming concepts, languages I listed as proficient on my resume (specifically C++ and C#), and SQL. I didn't have any issues with these, and they were really great throughout the whole process. If I had a more conventional background, I might have moved on, or I'd be open to trying again, but it's probably for the best since my lack of database knowledge likely means I'm not the right fit. Wishing the best of luck to everyone else going through the process.