Senior Software Engineer Interview Experience - Sydney, Australia
Process
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Phone interview. I spoke for one hour with the recruiter. The recruiter was very polite and reasonable. I came away feeling positive about the opportunity.
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Aptitude test online. I achieved a decent result to advance to the next round.
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Online programming test. I achieved an excellent result to advance to the on-site HR interview and on-site practical programming exercise with two engineers.
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On-site HR interview. I was not prepared well enough for the HR interview and did not proceed through to the on-site practical programming exercise with two engineers.
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Follow-up discussion. I was able to share my feedback with the interviewer and learned how I could achieve a better result in the HR interview should I decide to re-apply in the future.
Questions
Tell me the biggest thing you achieved in your previous role.
Specifically looking for a non-technical example.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 3 interview experiences for the Optiver Senior Software Engineer role in Sydney, Australia.
Success Rate
Optiver's interview process for their Senior Software Engineer roles in Sydney, Australia is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Optiver's Senior Software Engineer interview process in Sydney, Australia.
Optiver Work Experiences
- 4.0Smart Opportunities, Short-term FocusSenior Software Engineer • Former EmployeeSydney, New South Wales, AustraliaJuly 20, 2024Pros: Very good expertise in options market making and position taking. They always have more ideas to make money than they have dev resources to throw at them. As a good developer with a little bit of understanding of the business side, there are heaps of opportunities to do well.Cons: The company has gotten very big in recent years and has been losing its initial start-up feel. The performance evaluation for developers often tends to prioritize shorter-term deliveries. Big projects that span multiple review cycles and take a while to show their value tend to get underrewarded. This creates the wrong incentives among developers.
- 1.0Double-edged swordSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeSydney, New South Wales, AustraliaSeptember 1, 2024Pros: A good learning experience with lots of hands-on projects. It can give you a good career in the HFT field in the long term. It is obviously very well-paid despite being stressful.Cons: Extremely stressful. Competitive internally. Lots of layoffs for employees with no career growth, especially those that have been around for longer than 3 years without a plan to become a senior developer. Direct feedback culture can be seen as toxic. Hire too much in the short term and now the growth does not cover the cost anymore. Be careful to join as a new grad.
- 5.0Nice, smart peopleSenior Software Engineer • Former EmployeeLondon, England, United KingdomMarch 31, 2025Pros: Everyone is nice, everyone is smart, [and has an] entrepreneurial attitude.Cons: Lots of engineers, even senior ones, lack outside experience. It's hard to get anything done outside of established boundaries. Lots of inertia around existing tech and a lack of outside perspective makes it hard to point out problems or suggest solutions outside of expectations.
Optiver Interview Questions
