Telstra software engineer candidates describe a mix of online assessments, technical interviews on Java, projects and data structures, and manager or case-study conversations that weigh teamwork and motivation.
$85K
Avg. Base Comp
$110K
Avg. Total Comp
3 rounds
Typical Rounds
3 months
Process Length
Telstra software engineer candidates describe two broad paths. Graduate program applicants report a HireVue-style online assessment that combines recorded video questions, coding problems and gamified exercises. One candidate described a 150-minute assessment with four coding and six behavioral questions. Another reported four coding challenges, three at LeetCode easy level and one medium, followed by a recorded explanation of the approach. Video answers were described as allowing about three minutes and up to three attempts. Graduate candidates said motivation, rapport-building and adapting to change carried real weight. Graduate candidates also describe a case study and a final interview, and one reported about three months from application to offer.
Experienced software engineer candidates describe a different shape. One offer recipient reported three steps:
Another candidate started with an online assessment of fifty multiple-choice questions plus two array and string coding problems. A technical round followed, opening with a walkthrough of Kafka and Node.js projects for roughly forty minutes. It then covered networking, databases, SQL, OS theory and an array problem. A manager conversation about conflict closed the process.
Prepare to explain your projects in depth and to solve medium array and string problems with an optimal approach. Also bring specific stories about collaboration, building rapport and handling disagreement.
Synthesized from 10 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Telstra process.
I applied for the graduate program at Telstra and within a few days got an invitation to complete a HireVue video assessment. The process was well-structured but ended up taking longer than I expected. The video component had five interview questions and five coding questions, plus three gamified assessments mixed in. One of the opening questions asked me to explain why my background and experience would be a good fit for the role, which was straightforward but required me to think carefully about how to articulate my value. Another set of questions focused on my motivations for joining Telstra and which stream I was most interested in — they seemed genuinely interested in understanding what drew me to the company and where I saw myself fitting in.
The technical coding questions weren't overly difficult, but the sheer volume of material to get through in one sitting made it feel like a lot. The gamified assessments were a nice change of pace from straight coding, though they added to the overall time commitment. After completing the OA, I had to wait until the beginning of May for the outcome. Once I heard back successfully, I was invited for a one-on-one interview. That's where things really opened up — the interviewers were genuinely friendly and made sure I felt comfortable before diving in. They were supportive and gave me immediate feedback if I got stuck on something. The interviews covered both technical depth and managerial fit, so they seemed to care about how I'd work with a team, not just whether I could code. After the final round, successful candidates moved straight into pre-employment checks and the offer letter. The whole process was thorough but felt fair, and the interviewers' approachability made a real difference in how I experienced it.
Prep tip from this candidate
Be ready for the HireVue video assessment format with both video questions and live coding back-to-back — practice articulating your motivations and background clearly and concisely, since those are the opening questions, and leave extra time for the gamified assessments as they can stretch the overall duration longer than you'd expect.
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Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Telstra
Select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department
| Question | |
|---|---|
| Prime to N | |
| Merge Sorted Lists | |
| Bagging vs Boosting | |
| Over-Budget Projects | |
| Size of Joins | |
| Hurdles In Data Projects | |
| Find the Missing Number | |
| Address Schema | |
| Retailer Data Warehouse | |
| Employee Project Budgets | |
| The Brackets Problem | |
| Find the First Non-Repeating Character in a String | |
| P-value to a Layman | |
| Find the Index with Equal Left and Right Sum | |
| Average Quantity | |
| Google Maps Improvement | |
| Sort Strings | |
| Groups of Anagrams | |
| Real-Time Transaction Streaming | |
| String Subsequence | |
| Get Top N Frequent Words | |
| Cyclic Detection | |
| Skyscanner Partner ETL | |
| Append Frequency | |
| Find Duplicate Numbers in a List | |
| Type-ahead Search | |
| Swapping Nodes | |
| Payments Received | |
| Unlimited Plan Abuse |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Graduate candidates report a combined online assessment with recorded video answers, coding questions and gamified exercises. One described it as lasting 150 minutes. One experienced candidate describes a test with fifty multiple-choice questions on aptitude, verbal reasoning and technical knowledge, plus two array and string coding problems. Reported coding difficulty ranges from easy to challenging.
One software engineer candidate reports a short recruiter screening on background and fit before the technical round. This step may vary by role and level, so expect it to be informal rather than technical.
Candidates report technical rounds covering Java, Spring Boot and microservices, project deep dives on Kafka or Node.js, and medium DSA on arrays, maps and lists. One also reported networking, database, SQL and OS fundamentals. One interviewer reportedly cared about reasoning and approach, so talk through trade-offs as you solve.
Software engineer candidates report a manager conversation on teamwork, handling disagreement, persuading colleagues and past project experience. One described it as relaxed but clearly part of the assessment of fit. Prepare concrete examples where you influenced a team or resolved a conflict.
Graduate program candidates describe a case study stage. One reports a thirty-minute case study followed by a 55-60 minute final conversation with two interviewers, and about three months from application to offer. Another graduate candidate said successful candidates moved on to pre-employment checks and an offer letter.
