ICE software engineer candidates report Java-focused interviews covering collections, threading, LRU-style coding problems and project walkthroughs, with slow communication and uneven interviewer conduct in several accounts.
$136K
Avg. Base Comp
$161K
Avg. Total Comp
Not reported
Typical Rounds
2 months
Process Length
Candidates describe the ICE software engineer interview as Java fundamentals plus a close look at the projects you have built. Data structures and concurrency come up repeatedly. One candidate was asked to implement an LRU cache and defend the design choices, and another faced questions touching ArrayLists, Sets, Maps and graphs. A senior candidate was asked how to implement a thread pool executor and how to handle thread contention.
Coding problems in the reports are mostly easy to medium. They include a longest palindromic substring and concatenating arrays. One candidate noted the interviewers were satisfied once the solution worked rather than pushing for optimizations. One HackerRank round used Java functional interfaces, with a distinct-character mapper and a prefix predicate. The LRU cache candidate was also pressed on input validation and defensive coding, and was expected to think out loud while coding.
Formats differ by candidate. One had an HR call, a video interview with a team lead, a HackerRank assessment, and a second round with the team lead and a project leader. That second round combined a project walkthrough with two LeetCode-style problems. Another candidate described a single intense technical round. A senior candidate went through multiple phone interviews, an online written test, and an all-day on-site with coding, technical and behavioral components.
Pace and conduct are the common complaints. One candidate described about two months with long gaps, another waited a month for a rejection, and one on-site interviewer was described as hostile. Others found their interviewers relaxed and helpful. Outcomes were mixed, with both offers and rejections. Review Java collections and concurrency, practice explaining design trade-offs aloud, and prepare two projects you can discuss in depth.
Synthesized from 10 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
One candidate began with an HR screening call that led to a video interview with the team lead, who was described as relaxed and helpful. A senior candidate applied through the website and went through multiple phone interview rounds before later stages.
One candidate completed a HackerRank assessment with starter code and two Java functional-interface problems: a mapper that counts distinct characters in a string and a predicate for prefix matching. A senior candidate took an online written test after the phone rounds.
Reported questions include implementing an LRU cache and justifying the design, finding a longest palindromic substring, and concatenating arrays, with questions touching ArrayLists, Sets, Maps and graphs. One candidate described a project walkthrough followed by two LeetCode-style problems. Another described a focus on input validation and defensive code.
Later stages vary. A senior candidate had an all-day in-person visit with several coding and technical rounds, including a thread pool executor and thread contention discussion, followed by a behavioral component. Another candidate reported a hostile on-site interviewer and declined the offer that followed.
Waiting is a recurring theme. One candidate described about two months overall with long gaps between rounds, and another waited a month for a rejection after interviews that went well. Plan to follow up and keep other applications moving.
