Software Engineer Interview Experience - Foster City, California
April 30, 2014
Positive ExperienceGot Offer
Process
I submitted multiple applications for various software development roles.
About a month later, I received a call asking to set up a phone interview.
It was a comprehensive interview with multiple team members, covering points on my resume, Java knowledge questions, and soft skill questions about how I work with other people.
Soon afterward, I received my offer.
Questions
General Java development knowledge, resume questions, and work ethic/situational questions.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 2 interview experiences for the IBM Software Engineer role in Foster City, California.
Success Rate
50%
Pass Rate
IBM's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Foster City, California is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive50%
Neutral0%
Negative50%
Candidates reported having mixed feelings for IBM's Software Engineer interview process in Foster City, California.
IBM Work Experiences
3.0
Remote Work, But Layoffs
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Foster City, California, United States
October 9, 2024
Pros: They take care of you. Remote working is allowed.
Cons: They love layoffs because they cannot staff.
4.0
Great company to cruise
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Foster City, California, United States
January 19, 2022
Pros: Good work-life balance, and people are helpful.
Cons: Big company politics and management are not that active.
2.0
Friendly Coasting, Unmotivated Management
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Foster City, California, United States
November 10, 2021
Pros: Classic tech company amenities: free coffee, snacks, and drinks.
The majority of coworkers are nice and friendly. The camaraderie was the highlight of my experience.
There's a huge bell curve. Top engineers there are brilliant, but the worst ones are unmotivated and coasting. Frankly, the average engineer is nothing to sneeze at.
This is a good place to coast if you want to.
There are opportunities to work hard and make an impact.
Cons: Pay is not competitive for the location. Lowball.
Bad apples exist in every workplace, but their existence speaks to the company's culture and behavioral hiring bar. HR is unhelpful and won't protect one from harassers.
Management lacks structure with task assignments and does not keep promises. Politics get in the way of good work.
There's a lack of formal structure because the place is small. There's no formal way to keep track of tasks.
Mediocre engineering standards. Not much of a formal code review process and poor code quality.
- 3.0Remote Work, But LayoffsSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeFoster City, California, United StatesOctober 9, 2024Pros: They take care of you. Remote working is allowed.Cons: They love layoffs because they cannot staff.
- 4.0Great company to cruiseSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeFoster City, California, United StatesJanuary 19, 2022Pros: Good work-life balance, and people are helpful.Cons: Big company politics and management are not that active.
- 2.0Friendly Coasting, Unmotivated ManagementSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeFoster City, California, United StatesNovember 10, 2021Pros: Classic tech company amenities: free coffee, snacks, and drinks. The majority of coworkers are nice and friendly. The camaraderie was the highlight of my experience. There's a huge bell curve. Top engineers there are brilliant, but the worst ones are unmotivated and coasting. Frankly, the average engineer is nothing to sneeze at. This is a good place to coast if you want to. There are opportunities to work hard and make an impact.Cons: Pay is not competitive for the location. Lowball. Bad apples exist in every workplace, but their existence speaks to the company's culture and behavioral hiring bar. HR is unhelpful and won't protect one from harassers. Management lacks structure with task assignments and does not keep promises. Politics get in the way of good work. There's a lack of formal structure because the place is small. There's no formal way to keep track of tasks. Mediocre engineering standards. Not much of a formal code review process and poor code quality.
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