Toyota Research Institute Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process took about 2-3 weeks. First, there was an HR call. Then, a tech video call. They asked me to debug python code and answer follow-up questions. Since the tech stack is python/javascript, I had to attempt the coding question in one of those languages. The second part was a coding question where I had to split a medium array into 2 parts recursively. I haven't heard back yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll be rejected because I'm not very familiar with Python.

A recruiter contacted me about a role. I suggested two other positions that might be a better fit, but they didn't seem to consider that. The initial phone interview setup was chaotic; the recruiter missed our scheduled time and called me two hours late. They also used multiple email addresses, which was confusing. I then spoke with the hiring manager, who seemed sharp and invited me for an on-site interview. The new office was large and mostly empty. The first interview was a coding challenge, which I think went well. Next, there was an analytical/math interview that I felt good about. The final interview focused on distributed systems, an area where I lack experience, so it didn't go as planned. I had mentioned this lack of experience to the manager, who said it wasn't a deal-breaker, but it turned out to be the reason for rejection. I was disappointed not about the offer, but about having to take time off work for an interview when they could have screened for this knowledge beforehand. My advice is to thoroughly understand the role and ask all necessary questions during the phone screening.

So they began by introducing themselves and then asked me to share a bit about myself, covering my background, skills, research background, and how I could contribute to the role. After that, the technical questions started.