I applied online, couple days later an internal recruiter contacted me to setup a phone interview for the position I applied for.
I had the phone interview, and it was very interesting. Typically for a position like this, you are going to be hammered with technical questions that are relevant to your day to day activities.
Not this interview, the questions asked were not hard questions. But the scope of the questions were very broad and touched just about every part of working in IT. For example I was asked what NAT was. I thought it was interesting because this is something you ask a Network Engineer not a Systems Engineer. But easy enough question.... I know this.... So I answered it. Then they wanted me to go into detail about it. And I had to explain I am a Systems Engineer, I don't work with these things everyday. I can give you the 30,000 foot view, but going really in depth I can't do.
A few questions like that. Not hard but you need to know all the details.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They asked me how does DHCP works. But they wanted the answer in a lot of detail.
- Had an assessment round with 2 DSA medium questions
- Had a debugging round based on the technical skills mentioned in the job description
- Had a DSA round which I was asked to explain my approach clearly
Initial call with recruiter, to talk about interest in role and background. Then technical interview with hiring manager to go over coding comeptancy and then technical depth in area. Finally, some time at the end for questions to the manager
Application & Recruiter Screen
After you apply (or are referred):
A recruiter phone call (20–30 min)
Covers:
Your background and experience
Role fit and location
Basic behavioral questions
Compensation expectations (sometimes)
✅ Tip: Be ready to explain your resume clearly and concisely.
2. Phone / Virtual Screen
This is usually 1–2 interviews:
45–60 minutes each
Mix of:
Behavioral (Leadership Principles)
Role-specific questions (technical, ops, analytics, etc.)
For tech roles, this may include:
Coding or system design
SQL / data questions
Case-style problems
✅ Tip: Use the STAR method and include metrics.
3. Onsite / Virtual Loop Interview
This is the main interview stage (often virtual now):
4–6 back-to-back interviews
Each interviewer focuses on:
1–2 Leadership Principles
Deep dives into your past experiences
Includes a Bar Raiser interviewer
Possible formats:
Behavioral interviews
Technical or case interviews
Written exercise (for some roles)
✅ Tip: Expect follow-up questions and challenges to your answers.
4. Bar Raiser Interview
Conducted by a trained interviewer outside the hiring team
Focuses on:
Long-term potential
Leadership Principles alignment
Hiring bar consistency
They may push harder and probe deeper than others.
5. Hiring Decision (Debrief)
Interviewers meet to discuss feedback
Decision is based on:
Leadership Principles
Role competency
Overall hire bar
You typically hear back within a few days to two we
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Ownership / Deliver Results
Tell me about a time you took ownership of a problem that wasn’t yours.
Tell me about a time you delivered results under a tight deadline.
Describe a time you had to make a decision without all the information.