Software Engineer Interview Experience - Irvine, California
Process
HR communication was okay. After the phone interview, they scheduled the onsite interview in about two weeks.
The onsite interview was pretty exhausting: a 1.5-hour written test, a 1-hour interview during lunch, and three 1.5-hour sessions with pairs of engineers.
In general, the atmosphere was really good: nice office culture, nice people, and a casual dress code.
The initial written test was okay, despite having 12 questions, four of which required you to write a piece of code.
The onsite lunch was good.
However, when we started the in-person interviews, there were too many low-level questions about the Internet protocol suite and other network communications.
Okay, maybe if it is so important for you guys to have strong networking people onboard, just mention this in your job description!
Overall, I was really exhausted by the end of the interview and a little bit happy that it was finally over.
I was rejected, but it seems like the guys are really having a hard time dealing with all the legacy stuff, overtime, and so on. I absolutely respect their decision and wish you good luck!
Questions
Array-based stack and queue.
Two ways to calculate factorial or Fibonacci numbers.
Please explain in as much detail as possible what happens when you click a link in a browser, and this request goes to a web app and returns back as a response.
Apache handlers - explain how pre- and post-processing works for web server requests and responses.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 15 interview experiences for the Blizzard Software Engineer role in Irvine, California.
Success Rate
Blizzard's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Irvine, California is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Blizzard's Software Engineer interview process in Irvine, California.
Blizzard Work Experiences
- 2.0A Shell of its Former SelfSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeIrvine, California, United StatesAugust 5, 2020Pros: Culture is great and inclusive. Creative people abound. Pets!Cons: It's not a secret: Blizzard pays very poorly, even for the game industry. This has been a fight for the better part of a decade, and it's a problem the company refuses to acknowledge. Promotions are just not a thing, depending on your team. Some teams see pretty consistent promotions, but several will wait 3-5 years before seeing a title change. The promotion system is awful. Perhaps more importantly, the very fabric of what made Blizzard special is at severe risk. The mantra of the Blizzard of old was to make awesome games, and the business will take care of itself. The mantra of modern Blizzard is to outsource games to China because it's cheap. Making the game awesome is only a priority if it can be made cheaply. Finally, retention is a disaster. Whole teams turn over in under 2 years with startling frequency. Riot is basically poaching whomever they want by offering anywhere from 50% more to double what current employees are getting paid. Blizzard used to be a destination employer for many, but the brand is being squandered badly, and it hurts to see. JAB has done little to fix this, and while I think he's the best choice as a replacement for Mike, it's clear he is uninterested in rebuilding the environment that attracted me here in the first place.
- 4.0Good Team, Fewer InternsSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeIrvine, California, United StatesJanuary 16, 2019Pros: Good working environment and team spirit.Cons: It definitely cut numbers of interns this year due to the obvious reason.
- 5.0Exciting Company, Low SalarySoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeIrvine, California, United StatesJanuary 12, 2021Pros: A very fun and exciting company to work at.Cons: Salary is a bit low for Orange County's cost of living.
