Engineering Interview Scenarios and Solutions

Struggling with case study interviews in tech or engineering roles in Germany? Many international professionals tell me the same thing: “I’m fine in interviews—until they give me a case study.” So I wrote a clear, practical guide to help you prepare. No fluff. No buzzwords. Just real-world examples from QA, backend development, and engineering roles. You’ll learn how to: break down any case logically research the company like a pro structure your response clearly (live or written) ask smart questions that impress hiring teams avoid common mistakes in technical case interviews I’ve coached dozens of international candidates through these exact steps—and now I’ve put it all into one post. Read it here (free): https://lnkd.in/dw9inN7K If you find it helpful, consider subscribing (free). I publish guides to help international professionals navigate the German/European job market with more clarity and confidence.

What's it REALLY like interviewing as a freshie at Motive? Since announcing the fresh grad program, my inbox has been flooded with questions about the interview process. Funny enough, just a year ago I was in your shoes. Let me break down the ENTIRE process: This is a long post, so sit tight. First thing, everyone gets a CodeSignal assessment. No CGPA filter. 70 minutes for 4 questions. Q1 & Q2: Leetcode easy Q3: Implementation heavy with edge cases Q4: Between medium and hard (needs optimal solution) My suggestion? Tackle them: Q1 -> Q2 -> Q4 -> Q3 Patterns my friends and I noticed last year: Sliding window, Two pointer, Hashmap, Stack, Tries Aim for at least 500+/600 to be safe. Then the real fun begins… Every. Single. Interview. Matters. None are a formality. They're assessing both your technical AND communication skills. Technically - they don't expect k8s knowledge or latest Nextjs quirks. They want SOLID FUNDAMENTALS. Frontend? Know JavaScript and core web concepts. ML? Know the MATHS behind everything. Communication-wise, they're watching how effectively you talk about past experiences. - Each project or internship you mention? - Those impressive metrics on your resume? Be ready to break down what u did & how you achieved those numbers. They will dig deep, and so KNOW YOUR SHIT. The interview flow: (The exact sequence might vary) 1. HR Screening Standard HR questions about your resume, experiences, FYP. They'll ask about your interests to set your interview track. 2. Two Engineering Manager Rounds These are conversational interviews that mix: - Non-leetcode technical domain knowledge - Resume deep dive (be ready to explain EVERYTHING) - Behavioral questions That "most challenging technical problem" I asked about in referral emails? This is where it shines. To better prepare for the behavioral part: https://lnkd.in/dwEaq-Sf 3. Two Leetcode Coding Rounds Classic leetcode-style problems to solve live. Think out loud. They care about your thought process just as much as the solution. 4. Domain Specific Interview This is where theory meets practice. You'll solve a problem that mimics actual work at Motive. This interview varies significantly between FE, BE, and AI tracks since each functional area has its own unique challenges. If you've worked in your domain, this should feel natural. And remember… Be in BEAST confidence mode throughout. They're also gauging how coachable you are throughout. Your ability to take feedback matters BIG TIME. Is this a lot of interviews? Yes. But the culture, work-life balance, environment, and package at the end? Worth. Every. Minute. Good luck, future colleagues.

Ryan Babiuch asked me about my #interview process. I was planning to write an article about this, but rather than just replying to his post, I thought it would be helpful to post my response here. When I interview a candidate for a #softwareengineering or #architecture role, I usually ask the candidate to design something based on a deliberately ill-defined problem. For example, “Design Twitter” - just that. Very open-ended, and with many unknowns (right CJ Barker?) Candidates often try to impress the interviewer by immediately trying to provide the best possible answer. This is impossible. If a candidate immediately jumps to design, that’s a concern. I want to see behaviors like these: 1. The candidate takes time to understand the problem and asks thoughtful clarifying questions.  2. They recognize, and ideally state, that there is no “right answer”. 3. When I (deliberately) make an incorrect statement, they’re not afraid to call me on it. 4. They can talk me through their design process, explaining the options they’re considering, and why they chose a particular one. 5. When they run into ambiguity, they ask me for clarification rather than making assumptions. 6. If they realize they made a poor decision earlier, they’re not afraid to admit it, backtrack, and move forward with a better choice. 7. They explain how they would validate their design with others, stating what kind of artifacts they’d produce for this purpose (e.g., an architecture diagram) and the categories of people they’d loop in. 8. When asked to map their design onto possible technology choices, they can enumerate them and talk about the pros and cons of their choices. 9. Since this is a whiteboard exercise, I want to see a completed and understandable design at the end of the process. 10. If they don’t know something, they freely admit it. 11. When I through a curveball that invalidates their design, they can pivot. Most of all, I want it to be a conversation, like we’re working on the solution together. I’m not only looking for solid technical decisions and a solution that might have a chance of working, but also how they communicate and collaborate. I never ask a software engineer candidate to write code. That’s like asking an author how to construct a paper book. You won’t learn anything about their creative process that way. Before setting the technical problem, I like to check to see how nervous the candidate is. If they seem anxious, I’ll spend more time just shooting the breeze and getting them to laugh. Nobody can give their best performance when they’re nervous, so my goal is to get them to a place where they can give their best. Finally, I’m known for reserving 10 minutes (or more) at the end of the interview to turn the tables and tell the candidate that they can “ask me anything”. I make a commitment to answer every question candidly, even things about the company or culture that I don’t like.