Software Engineer candidates at Zalando Outlet report a Codility-style coding test, HR and hiring manager calls, then technical, live coding and system design rounds. Most reported no offer, and several described slow communication.
$105K
Avg. Base Comp
$125K
Avg. Total Comp
Not reported
Typical Rounds
2 months
Process Length
Candidates who interviewed for Software Engineer roles at Zalando Outlet most often describe a coding assessment first, then HR and hiring manager conversations, then a block of technical interviews. One candidate describes a 3-hour Codility test with two easy problems and one medium. Another describes an asynchronous challenge with easy to medium LeetCode problems that acted as a real gate to the next stage.
The later rounds vary by person. One candidate reports three one-hour interviews covering system design, a medium Codility-style coding round, and a general technical discussion on Java, OOP and SQL. Another describes a practical coding round, a general technical interview on fundamentals such as hash maps and core data structures, and a final system design round. A third describes questions on the virtual DOM, React fundamentals, CORS and OpenTelemetry, plus a LeetCode-style live coding exercise. Match your preparation to the stack named in your job description.
System design appears repeatedly. One candidate was asked about database denormalization and when to use it in practice, and said that round was where they fell short. Practice explaining why you would pick one approach over another.
The hiring manager round reportedly focuses on previous experience, background and motivation, with behavioral questions, so have specific project stories ready. One candidate described the full process as six rounds over about two months. Several waited around two weeks for a decision or had to chase for a result. Ask about next steps at each stage and follow up after a week or two of silence. Most reports in this set ended without an offer.
Synthesized from 19 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Zalando Outlet process.
I had to wait about two weeks for a rejection even though the interviews themselves seemed to go fine, which honestly left a bad impression. The process started with an initial coding test, and if that passed it moved to an HR interview. After that came four technical interviews with senior managers and technical leads, and then there was another HR interview at the end just to share the outcome. It felt like a long process for a software engineering role, and the delay in getting a decision made it even more frustrating.
On the technical side, I was asked medium LeetCode-style coding questions, some system design, and a few general questions. The coding part was manageable if you’re used to interview prep, but it wasn’t just pure algorithms — they also wanted to see how you think about design and broader engineering topics. The overall vibe was more drawn out than difficult, but the waiting and the final rejection after all those rounds made the experience feel pretty poor. My takeaway would be to prepare for both coding and system design, and also be ready for a process that can stretch out longer than expected.
Prep tip from this candidate
Be ready for a long process: coding test first, then HR, then four technical rounds, then another HR closeout. Focus your prep on medium LeetCode problems plus system design, since both came up alongside general engineering questions.
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Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Zalando Outlet
Design a secure, real-time, scalable portfolio management system with notifications and caching.
| Question | |
|---|---|
| Stakeholder Communication | |
| Why Do You Want to Work With Us | |
| Your Strengths and Weaknesses | |
| 2nd Highest Salary | |
| Closest SAT Scores | |
| Subscription Overlap | |
| Empty Neighborhoods | |
| Top Three Salaries | |
| Monthly Customer Report | |
| Merge Sorted Lists | |
| Rolling Bank Transactions | |
| Customer Orders | |
| Comments Histogram | |
| Random SQL Sample | |
| P-value to a Layman | |
| Flight Records | |
| Prime to N | |
| Upsell Transactions | |
| Top 3 Users | |
| Recurring Character | |
| Project Pairs | |
| Address Schema | |
| Retailer Data Warehouse | |
| Permutation Palindrome | |
| Download Facts | |
| Find the First Non-Repeating Character in a String | |
| Bagging vs Boosting | |
| Daily Retention Summary | |
| Average Quantity |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Several candidates report an online coding test before the HR call. One described a 3-hour Codility test with three problems, two easy and one medium. Another described an asynchronous challenge with easy to medium LeetCode problems. Practice timed LeetCode easy and medium problems.
A call of roughly 30 to 35 minutes is reported. One candidate was asked how they heard about Zalando, why they wanted to join, and their salary expectations. That candidate was rejected by automated email two days after this call, so treat it as a real screen and prepare a clear motivation story.
Several candidates report a hiring manager round focused on previous experience, background and motivation. One said the manager spent a good amount of time on behavioral questions and answered all of their questions. Prepare STAR-style stories and a few questions about the team.
Reports describe live coding at easy-to-medium difficulty, sometimes grounded in practical work problems. General technical rounds may cover Java, OOP, SQL, hash maps and core data structures, or React, CORS and OpenTelemetry depending on the stack. Be ready to explain your reasoning aloud, not just reach an answer.
Candidates report system design in the final stage. One was asked about database denormalization strategies and when to use them in practice, and found it the hardest round. Practice reasoning through trade-offs in a realistic scenario.
Several candidates waited about two weeks for a decision. One reached out on LinkedIn to get movement, and another sent multiple follow-ups before receiving an automated rejection. Ask about next steps at each stage and follow up politely if you hear nothing for a week or two.
