Software Engineer Interview Experience - London, United Kingdom
Process
A recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn and asked me to read textbooks to prepare for an interview on short notice, just a few days away.
The interview itself was rather strange.
One interviewer was a young man, fairly friendly. The other was older and quite unfriendly.
Communication from them was poor, though English was not their first language. The older interviewer created a quite toxic atmosphere.
I was ultimately rejected. When I asked for feedback, I was told it was due to them nitpicking, but I suspect the real reason was hidden.
I will never interview with them again. Their behavior was really poor, and I felt disrespected.
Questions
Design a FIFO queue.
Questions about my experience:
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 3 interview experiences for the Datadog Software Engineer role in London, United Kingdom.
Success Rate
Datadog's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in London, the United Kingdom is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Datadog's Software Engineer interview process in London, United Kingdom.
Datadog Work Experiences
- 5.0Great place to start a tech/SWE careerSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesOctober 10, 2024Pros: Solid developer experience and onboarding experience. Great ability to focus on heads-down work with minimal meetings for lower-level ICs. Good perks (lunch, snacks/coffee, etc.). Pay is competitive, and I feel well-compensated for my skills and work.Cons: 3 days mandatory in office. If you need more flexibility or the ability to go remote, this is not common, but possible in theory.
- 4.0Great culture, growing painsSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesMarch 14, 2022Pros: Some of the best work-life balance in the industry. Great leadership, very positive and warm culture with social events, etc.. The stock has a history of growing a lot. Free lunches Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Joined as an intern and got a new grad offer like everyone else in my intern cohort.Cons: Low-ish pay for new grads. Make sure you have a competing offer for leverage. The total compensation package for new grads who are able to negotiate is around $135K base + $25K stocks + $50K signing bonus as of the time of writing.
- 3.0Decent Company with a Few Glaring IssuesSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesJune 25, 2025Pros: * They are decent with their tech; the tech stack is modern and efficient. * There is good career progression (in most teams) and some mentorship. * There are some networking opportunities.Cons: There are often silent layoffs and firings. There is a culture of firing people who have been at the company for a while. I have heard of cases of firing without a PIP in place. They are more ruthless, and a sink-or-swim culture is now in place. There are many cases of management stepping down to the IC level because of tough company expectations.
Datadog Interview Questions
