Github's software engineer interviews vary noticeably by level and team, but a few patterns recur across candidate accounts. Most loops open with a recruiter screen and, for non-intern roles, often a hiring manager conversation before any coding stage. The assessment itself takes different shapes: a single recursive HackerRank problem, a take-home coding assignment, or a Codility test. According to one senior-level account, the hiring manager picks Codility questions relevant to the role rather than generic LeetCode. The final interview day typically blends practical coding, system design, and a behavioral or values-based round. Tasks candidates describe include building a game of battlefield, setting up HTTP calls, an API design challenge, a medium LeetCode-style problem, and reviewing a Ruby pull request for quality and efficiency improvements. One senior-level account adds that system design goes deep on something you've actually built. Behavioral rounds have covered disagreeing with a colleague's technical decision, seeking out perspectives different from your own, and what draws you to Github. Have concrete project or open source examples ready, since one candidate noted interviewers want to see them.
Timelines vary widely. One standard-engineer process took about four months, including roughly two months of silence after a take-home before the final day was scheduled, and another spanned several months. By contrast, the intern account involved a single 45-minute, project-focused conversation and a quick offer. A contract candidate described a fast-moving process where hearing back could take around a month. One candidate who received an offer also went through about three weeks of back-and-forth before the offer, then nearly four more weeks of background verification. Build patience into your planning, and use the gaps to rehearse your project walkthroughs and values stories.
Synthesized from 9 candidate reports by our editorial team.
