Software Engineer Interview Experience - San Francisco, California
Process
The following was the interview process for a remote full-time position of Software Developer. There were multiple steps to the process, including:
- A call with the tech recruiter.
- A 1-hour tech phone screen.
- A 4 to 4.5-hour remote on-site.
Prior to the remote on-site, I was asked to build a skeleton for the project I'd be working on. The remote on-site included independent project work (1 hour), pairing on the same project (1 hour), and the rest of the time was split chatting with the hiring manager and a Systems & Design interview (1 hour).
Finally, following the remote on-site, there was a conversation regarding the offer details.
Questions
Prior to the on-site, build a web application from scratch for the project portion of the interview. You will add more functionality to it during the on-site, on your own as well as while pairing.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 5 interview experiences for the Handshake Software Engineer role in San Francisco, California.
Success Rate
Handshake's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in San Francisco, California is incredibly easy as the vast majority of engineers get an offer after going through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Handshake's Software Engineer interview process in San Francisco, California.
Handshake Work Experiences
- 1.0Worst company I ever worked forSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesJanuary 24, 2024Pros: Decent colleagues up to L6.Cons: The executive team (except Christine) is extremely toxic and micromanaging. The directors are mostly brown-nosers. ICs are burned out or checked out.
- 2.0It's getting worse every yearSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeOctober 25, 2025Pros: Great peers and managers to work with. A lot of tech savvy people. Insurance is pretty good,Cons: The mission has changed in a bad way. It used to be 'democratizing opportunities', but they implemented AI in their feature without considering the impact on students attending smaller schools.
- 1.0Everyone here is looking to leave, it's not a good place to beSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeJune 10, 2025Pros: Pay isn't bad They've lasted a while Technology is goodCons: Constant silent layoffs, not a stable place at all They love to let people go after a certain amount of time, you'd be hard pressed finding people there that's been there longer than a year Most people end up on FMLA because they work people until they end up in the hospital Financially they are not doing well
