Software Engineer Interview Experience - San Francisco, California
April 21, 2016
Positive ExperienceGot Offer
Process
I interviewed at a lot of great tech companies, but my experience with Square was by far my favorite.
Starting from the interviews themselves, the interviewers were all extremely welcoming and kind. The questions they asked were a lot more practical and fun than at other companies. At the end of my onsite, I felt like I had spent the day solving interesting problems and learning from very smart people! It was such a change from the usual stressful and tiring interview process.
After my onsite, my recruiter went above and beyond to help me with my decision. I could tell that she genuinely cared about me making the right decision for myself, and she was very supportive even when I told her I was leaning towards another company.
Even though I decided to accept a different offer for personal reasons, I am so grateful for the wonderful experience I had with Square! I would encourage anyone to apply!
Questions
There was one graph traversal problem that was fun.
I don't think I should go into specifics, though.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 59 interview experiences for the Block Software Engineer role in San Francisco, California.
Success Rate
25%
Pass Rate
Block's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in San Francisco, California is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive56%
Neutral20%
Negative24%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Block's Software Engineer interview process in San Francisco, California.
Block Work Experiences
2.0
Toxic company politics
Software Engineer • Former Employee
San Francisco, California, United States
April 22, 2016
Pros: Food is pretty good.
There are definitely some very talented engineers.
In several ways, engineering practices are top-notch.
Work/life balance is good.
Cons: Office politics are extremely pervasive at Square. I've known coworkers fired over personal disagreements. If you don't drink the Kool-Aid, you're gone.
Management refuses to admit mistakes. The communications team seems to focus on placating employees, not telling an inspiring narrative to the rest of the world.
Generally, projects move at a glacial pace unless management happens to fancy your project this quarter. The next quarter, your headcount could be gone. I saw projects take two years that should have taken 3-6 months.
Compensation is unimpressive. I think there's more of an effort recently to improve it, but for many employees, like myself, it's too little too late.
For as many great engineers as there are, there are equally as many really poor engineers. Square grew far too quickly, and its talent suffered as a result. In general, engineering makes little investment in the future. Technical debt is extremely high with no plan on how to pay it down.
5.0
Top Talent, Chaotic Leadership
Software Engineer • Former Employee
San Francisco, California, United States
February 9, 2024
Pros: Great culture
Blameless
Top talent
Innovative tech
Cons: Growing pains
Leadership is chaotic.
3.0
Amazing Mission but Lackluster Execution
Software Engineer • Former Employee
San Francisco, California, United States
September 25, 2016
Pros: Square is a great place to work if you are a new-grad or just starting out in your career. There are a lot of great people to work with, and you can see a lot of interesting work.
* Work with fantastic people at your peer level. You have made some great friends here.
* The engineering culture is really good; no-ego problem-solving is mandatory across the company.
* One of the few opportunities to build something that is impactful for everyday people trying to make an honest living. People are connected to the mission of helping the small business down the street.
* A truly full-stack company. You can learn so much on the engineering side.
Cons: - Design culture is awful. ICs are great, but their management structure is incredibly top-down and not iterative. They hamstring product teams and slow everything down.
- Lack of focus everywhere. Constant reorgs and lots of abandoned projects make it hard to scale your team or your work.
- Leadership provides no clear strategy. We are just doing lots of things, attacking lots of opportunities.
- 2.0Toxic company politicsSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesApril 22, 2016Pros: Food is pretty good. There are definitely some very talented engineers. In several ways, engineering practices are top-notch. Work/life balance is good.Cons: Office politics are extremely pervasive at Square. I've known coworkers fired over personal disagreements. If you don't drink the Kool-Aid, you're gone. Management refuses to admit mistakes. The communications team seems to focus on placating employees, not telling an inspiring narrative to the rest of the world. Generally, projects move at a glacial pace unless management happens to fancy your project this quarter. The next quarter, your headcount could be gone. I saw projects take two years that should have taken 3-6 months. Compensation is unimpressive. I think there's more of an effort recently to improve it, but for many employees, like myself, it's too little too late. For as many great engineers as there are, there are equally as many really poor engineers. Square grew far too quickly, and its talent suffered as a result. In general, engineering makes little investment in the future. Technical debt is extremely high with no plan on how to pay it down.
- 5.0Top Talent, Chaotic LeadershipSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesFebruary 9, 2024Pros: Great culture Blameless Top talent Innovative techCons: Growing pains Leadership is chaotic.
- 3.0Amazing Mission but Lackluster ExecutionSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesSeptember 25, 2016Pros: Square is a great place to work if you are a new-grad or just starting out in your career. There are a lot of great people to work with, and you can see a lot of interesting work. * Work with fantastic people at your peer level. You have made some great friends here. * The engineering culture is really good; no-ego problem-solving is mandatory across the company. * One of the few opportunities to build something that is impactful for everyday people trying to make an honest living. People are connected to the mission of helping the small business down the street. * A truly full-stack company. You can learn so much on the engineering side.Cons: - Design culture is awful. ICs are great, but their management structure is incredibly top-down and not iterative. They hamstring product teams and slow everything down. - Lack of focus everywhere. Constant reorgs and lots of abandoned projects make it hard to scale your team or your work. - Leadership provides no clear strategy. We are just doing lots of things, attacking lots of opportunities.
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