Candidates for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota software engineering roles describe recruiter and hiring manager calls followed by a PR-review technical round that can include timed fixes, with slow communication at times.
$120K
Avg. Base Comp
$150K
Avg. Total Comp
4-5 rounds
Typical Rounds
45 days
Process Length
Candidates for software engineering roles at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota most often describe a PR review technical round in place of a classic algorithm screen. Four of the five engineering reports mention it. Two Senior Software Engineer candidates reviewed code first, in one case a Node.js REST endpoint and in the other a project that builds a tree of NPM dependencies. Both were then asked to implement changes, including validation, caching and parallelization in one case and fixes or edge cases from their own review comments in the other. Both reported that finishing within the time box counted heavily, even though the format was described as collaborative. One also said system design discussion used up coding time.
One Software Engineer candidate reported five stages: a screening call, a hiring manager call, an async PR task, a live review of that task, and a final hiring manager call. That candidate said the process took about a month and a half. Another Software Engineer candidate described a Talent Attraction call, a hiring manager conversation, a PR review discussion about how to evaluate code and give feedback, and a final meeting with senior stakeholders. That candidate also mentioned that location and hybrid arrangements did not line up.
The reported outcomes were all no offer. Two candidates described long silences between stages, and one described a rejection that did not match their account of the interview. Practice reading unfamiliar code quickly and writing clear review comments. Also practice turning your own comments into working fixes under a clock, and confirm timing, format and work location with the recruiter early.
Synthesized from 6 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota process.
The process started with an initial call from the Talent Attraction team, and I was really impressed with how organized and communicative they were from the beginning. They walked me through each stage clearly and stayed supportive throughout, which set a positive tone early on. After that screening, I had a conversation with the hiring manager that felt genuinely friendly and collaborative—no awkward silences or gotcha questions, just a natural discussion about the role and what they were looking for.
The technical round came next, and that's where things got challenging. They ran a PR review exercise, which was definitely harder than I expected. Instead of a traditional live coding session, I was asked to review someone's code and discuss my approach—questions like how I'd evaluate a pull request and what I'd look for when giving feedback. It was less about solving a problem from scratch and more about demonstrating code judgment and communication skills. The conversation was substantive, and honestly I learned a lot from how the interviewer pushed back on my thinking.
The final stage brought me in front of senior stakeholders to discuss the team's direction and the company's broader strategy. That was a good sign of how seriously they were considering me, though it also underscored the level of cultural fit and vision alignment they cared about. Ultimately I didn't move forward, and in hindsight, there were logistics around location and hybrid work that didn't align with what they needed at that time. It was a well-run process though, and I'd say Blue Cross handled the communication and interview experience professionally throughout.
Prep tip from this candidate
Focus on practicing PR review discussions and code evaluation frameworks rather than live coding problems—be ready to articulate how you'd assess code quality, suggest improvements, and communicate feedback constructively. Also confirm location and work arrangement fit early, since that can be a disqualifying factor even if the technical interview goes well.
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Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates report an opening call with a recruiter or the Talent Attraction team. One described it as organized and clear about each stage. Another said they were promised meetings with relevant teams that mostly did not happen. It is a good point to confirm format, timing and work location.
Candidates report a hiring manager call that was largely high-level technical and behavioral. One described it as friendly and collaborative, while another said it was not very deep. Expect to discuss your background and the role. Candidates from other stacks may want to say so up front.
Candidates report reviewing a pull request and then implementing changes. Reports mention a Node.js REST endpoint with validation, caching and parallelization, and an NPM dependency tree project with edge-case fixes. Senior candidates described the time box as strict despite collaborative framing. One candidate described the task as async, followed by a live review of it.
Reports say the last stage was another hiring manager call in one case and a meeting with senior stakeholders about team direction and company strategy in another. Candidates may want to prepare thoughtful questions on the team and strategy.
All engineering candidates here reported no offer. Two described weeks of silence between stages, and one received only a generic rejection email without feedback. Plan for slow communication, follow up politely with the recruiter, and keep other processes moving.
