Principal Software Engineer Interview Experience - United States
Process
Guy that doesn't speak English (in the US), with no headset, gets on the call and immediately wants a dumb HackerRank-type code test ('open link' were the only two words I understood).
No introduction, no communication, no asking about real-life experiences, no giving an overview of the interview, nothing close to a professional software interview was done.
If this is how they recruit and interview, they're going to treat you like trash once you get in there. If this is how they find 'good people', don't use their insurance either. It's probably scammy if you ever really need it.
For anyone desperate that just wants a check and plans to quit the next time they find something better, it's the seats on a plane problem. I highly recommend you just hang up if they pull this.
Questions
Seats on a plane (HackerRank type test) – an abusive hiring practice.
Was this helpful?
Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the GEICO Principal Software Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
GEICO's interview process for their Principal Software Engineer roles in the United States is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for GEICO's Principal Software Engineer interview process in United States.
GEICO Work Experiences
- 1.0Not a good culturePrincipal Software Engineer • Current EmployeeMarch 2, 2025Pros: The brand name is the only thing.Cons: No growth managers are trying to save themselves and not helping.
- 1.0Avoid; nothing good comes from herePrincipal Software Engineer • Current EmployeeSeptember 10, 2024Pros: I get to work remotely for now.Cons: Super old, broken, undocumented approach to tech. The CTO is extremely full of himself, and they can't even figure out Cloud, so they are migrating to on-prem. The process is so broken and the knowledge is so sparse that of course it's delayed 18+ months and again broken. Company is borderline racist as well, and I say that as a white person. They only hire people from India, actively filtering out others since they want H1-B to underpay and treat them badly. I feel bad for them. They get to overwork, underpay, and get an employee who has no option but to stay and take the abuse. Also, teams are given old projects, then fired after a while. Some teams are given advantages or don't have to follow a process your team does, so that manager's team looks good at your expense, since you have 1000 more broken controls and ecosystems to fight through. Bad mistake on my part coming here. Also, pay is very bad, again since they prefer to exploit immigrants than actually pay market rate.
- 3.0Internal politics get in the way of making progressPrincipal Software Engineer • Current EmployeeChevy Chase, Maryland, United StatesAugust 14, 2023Pros: The job is fully remote, and being in the office is not required.Cons: It seems like internal bickering gets in the way of progress. Departments can’t agree between each other, and engineers get caught in the crossfire.
