Tivo is a pioneering company renowned for revolutionizing the home entertainment industry through its innovative digital video recorder (DVR) technology. Established as a household name, Tivo continues to thrive by integrating smart software solutions that elevate the viewing experience.

Joining Tivo as a Software Engineer offers a dynamic and challenging career path where strong technical acumen, problem-solving skills, and a passion for innovation are essential. As a Software Engineer at Tivo, you will be instrumental in developing cutting-edge software that enhances user experiences across various digital platforms.

If you aim to become a part of this forward-thinking company, our guide on Interview Query provides a comprehensive overview of the interview process, common questions, and valuable tips to help you succeed. Dive in and prepare to excel in your Tivo Software Engineer interview!

Submitting Your Application

The first step in your journey to become a Software Engineer at TiVo is to submit a compelling application that reflects your technical skills and enthusiasm for the role. Whether you were contacted by a TiVo recruiter or have proactively applied yourself, it’s crucial to carefully review the job description and tailor your resume according to the prerequisites.

Tailoring your resume might include identifying specific keywords that the hiring manager might use to filter resumes and crafting a targeted cover letter. Additionally, make sure to highlight relevant skills and experience directly applicable to the Software Engineer role at TiVo.

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your resume stands out, a recruiter from TiVo’s Talent Acquisition Team will reach out to verify key details like your work experiences and skill levels. Behavioral questions may also be part of the screening process.

In some instances, the TiVo hiring manager might join this initial call to field your questions about the role and the company. They may also touch on surface-level technical and behavioral discussions.

This recruiter call typically takes about 30 minutes.

Technical Virtual Interview

Successfully navigating the recruiter round will earn you an invitation to a technical screening round. This technical screening for the Software Engineer role at TiVo usually takes place virtually, often through video conference and screen-sharing platforms. Questions during this 1-hour long interview may revolve around TiVo’s tech stack, algorithmic challenges, data structures, and problem-solving skills.

Expect questions that assess your coding prowess, typically involving languages such as Java, Python, or C++. You may also encounter problems focusing on system design, API integration, and debugging.

Onsite Interview Rounds

Once you clear the technical screening, you’ll receive a call outlining the next steps, including an invitation to attend onsite interviews. Multiple interview rounds, varying with the role, will be conducted during your day at the TiVo office. Here, your technical and problem-solving skills will be put to the test through whiteboard coding sessions and pair programming exercises.

Depending on the role's specifics and seniority, you may also participate in interviews focused on system design, architectural challenges, and software development life cycles. A take-home assignment or coding challenge may also be discussed if previously assigned.

Quick Tips for TiVo Software Engineer Interviews

Navigating the interview process at TiVo can be challenging, but a few strategic preparations can make a significant difference. Here are three tips that can help you ace your interviews:

• Prepare on TiVo’s Technology Stack: Make sure to brush up on the specific technologies TiVo uses. A good understanding of the company's tech stack will help you tailor your responses and show your keen interest in the role.

• Practice Problem-Solving: At TiVo, your problem-solving skills are critical. Practice solving coding problems on platforms like Interview Query and engage in mock interviews to sharpen your skills.

• Understand System Design Concepts: For a Software Engineer role, understanding system design principles can be crucial. Prepare for system design interviews by studying common architectures and design patterns relevant to TiVo’s domain.

Typically, interviews at Tivo vary by role and team, but commonly Software Engineer interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

• Write a query to get the average order value by gender. Given three tables representing customer transactions and customer attributes, write a query to get the average order value by gender. Round the answer to two decimal places.

• Write a function missing_number to find the missing number in an array. You have an array of integers, nums of length n spanning 0 to n with one missing. Write a function missing_number that returns the missing number in the array. Complexity of (O(n)) required.

• Find the index where the sum of the left half equals the right half. Given a list of integers, find the index at which the sum of the left half of the list is equal to the right half. If there is no such index, return -1.

• Write a function sorting to sort a list of strings in ascending order. Given a list of strings, write a function, sorting from scratch to sort the list in ascending alphabetical order. Do not use the built-in sorted function. Return the new sorted list.

• Write a query to find the earliest date each user played their third unique song. Given a table of song_plays and a table of users, write a query to extract the earliest date each user played their third unique song. If a user has listened to less than three unique songs, display their name with a NULL date and song name.

• How would you build a model to predict which merchants DoorDash should acquire in a new market? As a data scientist at DoorDash, describe the steps and features you would use to build a predictive model to identify which merchants the company should target for acquisition when entering a new market.

• How would you determine the customer service quality through the chat box for small businesses on Facebook Marketplace? Working at Facebook, your team aims to help small businesses increase sales through the Marketplace app. Explain how you would assess the quality of customer service provided through chat interactions between small businesses and consumers.

• What business health metrics would you track on a dashboard for an e-commerce D2C sock business? If you are in charge of an e-commerce D2C business selling socks, list and explain the key business health metrics you would monitor on a company dashboard to ensure the business is performing well.

• Write a query to determine if user interactions (likes, comments) lead to higher purchasing volumes. Given three tables (users, transactions, and events), write a SQL query to analyze whether users who interact on the website (through likes and comments) convert to purchasing at a higher volume than those who do not interact.

• How does random forest generate the forest and why use it over logistic regression? Explain how random forest generates multiple decision trees and why it might be preferred over logistic regression for certain tasks.

• How do we deal with missing square footage data in housing price prediction? You have 100K sold listings in Seattle over three years, with 20% missing square footage data. Describe methods to handle this missing data to construct a predictive model.

• How would you build a model to predict merchant acquisition for DoorDash in a new market? As a data scientist at DoorDash, outline the steps to build a model that predicts which merchants to target for acquisition when entering a new market.

• How do you detect and handle correlation between variables in linear regression? Describe methods to detect and handle correlation between variables in linear regression and explain the consequences of ignoring such correlations.

• How would you design a model to detect potential bombs at a border crossing? Outline the design of a model to detect potential bombs at a border crossing, including the model's inputs and outputs, accuracy measurement, and testing methods.

• How many more samples are needed to decrease the margin of error from 3 to 0.3? Given a sample size (n) with a margin of error of 3, calculate the additional samples required to reduce the margin of error to 0.3.

• What is the mean and variance of the distribution of (2X - Y)? Given (X) and (Y) are independent random variables with normal distributions (X \sim \mathcal{N}(3, 4)) and (Y \sim \mathcal{N}(1, 4)), determine the mean and variance of (2X - Y).

• How do you calculate the sample size and power for an AB test? For an AB test with a test group and a control group:

• How do you calculate the necessary sample size for accurate measurement?
• If the sample size is sufficient, should the power increase or decrease to measure very small differences between the groups?

If you want more insights about the company, check out our main Tivo Interview Guide, where we have covered many interview questions that could be asked. We’ve also created interview guides for other roles, such as software engineer and data analyst, where you can learn more about Tivo's interview process for different positions.

At Interview Query, we empower you to unlock your interview prowess with a comprehensive toolkit, equipping you with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic guidance to conquer every Tivo interview question and challenge.

You can check out all our company interview guides for better preparation, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Good luck with your interview!