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Senior Software Engineer Interview Experience - Berlin, Germany

August 1, 2018
Negative ExperienceNo Offer

Process

The interview process began with a talk with a recruiter, followed by an IQ test, three online easy coding problems, and technical and behavioral interviews.

I will skip the IQ test because any reasonable person understands that it's not a measure of anything whatsoever. I have no clue why they make people take them.

Three online coding problems were given with no time limit. You were asked to write production-ready code in terms of variable/method names and clarity of the logic flow. Nothing was too hard.

For both remote interviews, I was told there would be a lot of emphasis on Klarna and knowing what they do and why they do it. I received no questions about the company. Not one. I even bought something using their checkout method to gauge UX.

The technical part consisted of two parts:

  1. Me telling about myself to a completely disinterested interviewer; no questions were asked about my experience whatsoever.
  2. An easy-to-mid-level CS puzzle question where you needed to write code in a Google Doc. You couldn't draw anything on the doc and there was no code formatting. The interviewer was helpful and gave hints. I wasn't asked a single question apart from the puzzle.

The behavioral part consisted of four or five 'recall a situation where you...' questions that, even with years of experience, you are not guaranteed to have run into. The interviewer didn't show any enthusiasm or interest and clearly did not read my resume.

Neither of the interviewers adequately addressed the high turnover rate concerns that Glassdoor is full of.

Overall, a negative experience. The only positive thing was the recruiter, who was friendly and very responsive.

Questions

Recall a situation where you...

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 16 interview experiences for the Klarna Senior Software Engineer role in Berlin, Germany.

Success Rate

6%
Pass Rate

Klarna's interview process for their Senior Software Engineer roles in Berlin, Germany is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.

Experience Rating

Positive13%
Neutral13%
Negative75%

Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Klarna's Senior Software Engineer interview process in Berlin, Germany.

Klarna Work Experiences