Glassdoor Software Engineer Interview Questions + Guide in 2025

Glassdoor is dedicated to helping individuals navigate their career paths by fostering transparency in workplace conversations through various platforms and resources.

As a Software Engineer at Glassdoor, you will play a pivotal role in the development and enhancement of the company's data platform and associated technologies. This position involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to design, implement, and maintain scalable software solutions that support the growing needs of the Glassdoor and Fishbowl products. Key responsibilities include introducing best practices in software development, mentoring junior engineers, and ensuring high standards of data quality throughout the engineering process. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in algorithms, data structures, and programming languages such as Python and Java, with a keen understanding of cloud infrastructure, CI/CD practices, and container orchestration tools like Docker and Kubernetes.

This guide aims to equip you with tailored insights and preparation strategies that reflect the specific expectations and culture at Glassdoor, ensuring you present yourself as a strong candidate during the interview process.

The interview process for a Software Engineer at Glassdoor is designed to assess both technical skills and cultural fit within the company. It typically consists of several stages, each focusing on different aspects of the candidate's abilities and experiences.

1. Initial Phone Screen

The process begins with an initial phone screen conducted by a recruiter. This conversation usually lasts about 30-45 minutes and serves to gauge your interest in the role, discuss your background, and clarify any questions you may have about the position and the company. The recruiter will also assess your communication skills and cultural fit for Glassdoor.

2. Technical Phone Interview

Following the initial screen, candidates typically participate in a technical phone interview. This round is often conducted by a senior engineer or hiring manager and focuses on your technical knowledge and problem-solving abilities. Expect to answer questions related to algorithms, data structures, and possibly some coding exercises. The interview may utilize platforms like CoderPad or HackerRank for live coding assessments.

3. Onsite (or Virtual) Interviews

The onsite interview consists of multiple rounds, usually around 4-5, each lasting approximately 45 minutes to an hour. These interviews are conducted by various team members, including engineers and product managers. The focus will be on technical skills, including coding challenges, system design, and discussions about past projects. You may also encounter behavioral questions aimed at understanding your teamwork and collaboration skills.

4. Final Interview with Management

In some cases, a final interview with a higher-level manager or director may be included. This round often emphasizes your long-term vision, alignment with Glassdoor's mission, and your potential contributions to the team. It’s also an opportunity for you to ask questions about the company culture and future projects.

5. Offer and Negotiation

If you successfully pass all interview stages, you will receive an offer. The offer discussion may include salary negotiations, benefits, and other employment terms. Glassdoor is known for its transparency, so be prepared to discuss your expectations openly.

As you prepare for your interviews, it's essential to familiarize yourself with the types of questions that may be asked, particularly those related to algorithms and data structures, as well as your past experiences in software development.

Here are some tips to help you excel in your interview.

Embrace a Collaborative Mindset

Glassdoor values a culture of collaboration and transparency. Approach your interviews with a mindset that emphasizes teamwork and open communication. Be prepared to discuss how you have worked effectively with cross-functional teams in the past, and share examples of how you have contributed to a positive team environment. This will resonate well with the interviewers, who appreciate candidates that align with their company culture.

Prepare for Technical Depth

Given the emphasis on algorithms and data structures in the interview process, ensure you are well-versed in these areas. Brush up on your knowledge of algorithms, particularly those related to dynamic programming, as they have been frequently mentioned in past interviews. Practice coding problems on platforms like HackerRank or LeetCode, focusing on writing clean, efficient code. Be ready to explain your thought process and the trade-offs of your solutions, as interviewers appreciate candidates who can articulate their reasoning.

Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

During technical interviews, you may encounter real-world problems that require you to think critically and creatively. Prepare to demonstrate your problem-solving skills by discussing past projects where you faced challenges and how you overcame them. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your responses, ensuring you highlight your contributions and the impact of your solutions.

Understand the Company’s Technical Stack

Familiarize yourself with the technologies and tools that Glassdoor uses, such as AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD practices. Being able to discuss your experience with these technologies or your willingness to learn them can set you apart from other candidates. If you have experience with data engineering or machine learning, be sure to highlight that, as it aligns with the role's focus on building scalable data platforms.

Communicate Your Passion for Continuous Improvement

Glassdoor is looking for candidates who are committed to quality and continuous improvement. Be prepared to discuss how you have implemented best practices in your previous roles, whether through code reviews, mentoring, or introducing new technologies. Show that you are proactive about learning and growing, both personally and professionally.

Be Ready for Behavioral Questions

Expect behavioral questions that assess your fit within the company culture. Prepare to discuss your values, how you handle feedback, and your approach to diversity and inclusion. Glassdoor places a strong emphasis on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), so be ready to share your thoughts on how you can contribute to a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Follow Up with Thoughtful Questions

At the end of your interviews, take the opportunity to ask insightful questions about the team dynamics, the company’s future projects, or how they measure success in the role. This not only shows your interest in the position but also helps you gauge if Glassdoor is the right fit for you.

By following these tips and preparing thoroughly, you can present yourself as a strong candidate who aligns with Glassdoor's values and technical needs. Good luck!

In this section, we’ll review the various interview questions that might be asked during a Software Engineer interview at Glassdoor. The interview process will likely focus on your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and understanding of software development principles. Be prepared to discuss your past experiences, coding practices, and how you approach software design and architecture.

Technical Skills

1. Can you explain the difference between a linked list and an array? When would you use one over the other?

Understanding data structures is crucial for software engineering roles.

How to Answer

Discuss the characteristics of both data structures, including their memory allocation, access time, and use cases. Highlight scenarios where one might be more advantageous than the other.

Example

“A linked list is a dynamic data structure that allows for efficient insertions and deletions, while an array has a fixed size and allows for faster access to elements. I would use a linked list when I need to frequently add or remove elements, while an array is preferable for scenarios where quick access to elements is required.”

2. Describe how you would implement a custom list that converts arrays to lists.

This question tests your understanding of data structures and your coding ability.

How to Answer

Outline the steps you would take to create a custom list class, including methods for adding, removing, and accessing elements.

Example

“I would create a class called CustomList that holds an array internally. I would implement methods like add, remove, and get, ensuring that the array resizes dynamically as elements are added or removed. This would involve managing the array's capacity and ensuring that the list maintains its integrity.”

3. How would you optimize a single-threaded web scraper?

This question assesses your understanding of performance optimization techniques.

How to Answer

Discuss strategies such as caching, reducing the number of requests, and using asynchronous programming to improve performance.

Example

“To optimize a single-threaded web scraper, I would implement caching to store previously fetched data, reducing the number of requests made to the server. Additionally, I would use asynchronous programming to allow the scraper to handle multiple requests concurrently, improving overall efficiency.”

4. What is your approach to unit testing and mocking in your projects?

This question evaluates your understanding of testing practices.

How to Answer

Explain your testing strategy, including the tools you use and how you ensure code quality.

Example

“I prioritize unit testing in my projects to ensure that each component functions correctly. I use frameworks like pytest for Python, and I employ mocking to isolate the unit tests from external dependencies, allowing for more reliable and faster tests.”

5. Can you explain the concept of OOP and its principles?

Understanding object-oriented programming is fundamental for software engineers.

How to Answer

Discuss the four main principles of OOP: encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and abstraction.

Example

“OOP is based on the concept of objects that combine data and behavior. Encapsulation hides the internal state of an object, inheritance allows for code reuse, polymorphism enables methods to do different things based on the object calling them, and abstraction simplifies complex systems by modeling classes based on essential properties.”

Algorithms and Problem Solving

1. Given an array of n elements and a k number, find the total number of subarrays that sum up to k.

This question tests your algorithmic thinking and problem-solving skills.

How to Answer

Outline your approach to solving the problem, including any algorithms or data structures you would use.

Example

“I would use a hash map to store the cumulative sums of the elements as I iterate through the array. For each element, I would check if the difference between the current cumulative sum and k exists in the hash map. This allows me to count the number of valid subarrays efficiently.”

2. How would you find the maximum product of three integers in an array?

This question assesses your ability to work with arrays and implement algorithms.

How to Answer

Explain your thought process and the algorithm you would use to solve the problem.

Example

“I would sort the array and then compare the product of the three largest numbers with the product of the two smallest numbers and the largest number. This accounts for the possibility of negative numbers affecting the maximum product.”

3. Can you describe a time when you had to debug a complex issue in your code? What was your approach?

This question evaluates your debugging skills and problem-solving approach.

How to Answer

Share a specific example, detailing the steps you took to identify and resolve the issue.

Example

“I encountered a memory leak in a web application. I used profiling tools to monitor memory usage and identified that certain objects were not being released. I traced the issue back to a circular reference in my code and refactored it to eliminate the leak, which improved the application’s performance.”

4. Explain how you would design a system to handle user authentication.

This question tests your system design skills and understanding of security principles.

How to Answer

Discuss the components of a secure authentication system, including user data storage, password hashing, and session management.

Example

“I would design a system that stores user credentials securely using hashing algorithms like bcrypt. I would implement multi-factor authentication for added security and use tokens for session management to ensure that user sessions are secure and can be easily invalidated.”

5. What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous programming? When would you use each?

This question assesses your understanding of programming paradigms.

How to Answer

Explain the concepts and provide examples of when to use each approach.

Example

“Synchronous programming executes tasks sequentially, blocking the execution of subsequent tasks until the current one completes. Asynchronous programming allows tasks to run concurrently, improving performance in I/O-bound applications. I would use asynchronous programming in scenarios like web scraping or API calls where waiting for responses can slow down the application.”