Software Developer Interview Experience - Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 1, 2021
Negative ExperienceNo Offer
Process
The interview started with an email that included a link to a set of HackerRank questions. This was followed by an HR conversation and then a one-on-one with a development manager. The HackerRank exercise had a 48-hour limit but was not timed.
Questions
The HackerRank link had 10 questions, a mix of basic conceptual questions and programming exercises, mostly considered Easy and at most Medium difficulty.
The HR interview included typical questions about my experience, along with some personality and management topics.
The 1-1 technical interview with what seemed to be a development manager was to review my HackerRank answers and discuss improvements. I had scored over 90 out of 100 on the test, so the improvement discussion was quick and satisfactory.
The interviewer then jumped to "networking concepts." I do not have networking experience listed anywhere on my resume, and the job description did not mention networking concepts.
About 30 minutes later, I received an email from HR stating they could not proceed further because my networking knowledge was not at the expected level. Go figure!
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 9 interview experiences for the Optiver Software Developer role in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Success Rate
11%
Pass Rate
Optiver's interview process for their Software Developer roles in Amsterdam, Netherlands is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive67%
Neutral22%
Negative11%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Optiver's Software Developer interview process in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Optiver Work Experiences
5.0
Optiver provides everything needed for success, values work-life balance, and promotes collaboration and transparency
Software Developer • Current Employee
Chicago, Illinois, United States
April 26, 2015
Pros: As a software developer, I have found that everyone is very approachable across all levels in the company. If I ever have a question that needs answering, it's easy to sit down at someone's desk and get the answers I need. From a technical standpoint, I value Optiver's emphasis on starting with a simple solution and incrementally building up from there when needed.
Another advantage is that since our customers are our internal traders, we have an immediate feedback loop where we can continually improve and tweak our applications until we have a really solid system.
As far as company culture goes, I would say it is relaxed, and I enjoy the optional events and activities provided outside of work.
Cons: Trading is a fast-moving industry, with products and strategies changing. This can put pressure on our applications to change frequently, but also provides new problems to tackle and keeps things interesting.
1.0
Great Food, Political Nightmare
Software Developer • Current Employee
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
August 26, 2023
Pros: Good food and large bonuses
Cons: Extremely political. The majority of where you must spend your time to survive at Optiver is politics. If you do not, you will be eaten by others that do.
Management has zero interest in dissuading this behavior.
Watch your commits, as large pieces of work will be quietly re-based into other developers' names. This is not by accident, as you'll start hearing word back that they're bragging about having written the code.
Poor management promotes the worst people to management roles after seeing their own negative traits in them. Management is also gifted to long-term employees who cannot keep up with the technical work anymore.
These managers all review each other, ensuring the quality stays low, as poor management has the majority and removes anyone that doesn't have the negative traits they hold up as ideal.
5.0
Great Culture, Rude Seniors
Software Developer • Current Employee
Sydney, Australia
August 10, 2020
Pros: Definitely a great place to work: collaboration across teams, sharing of knowledge across teams and offices.
Focus on diversity.
Focus on organizational structure, which changes periodically to reflect changing business needs and to fix what's not working.
High performers are rewarded extremely well.
Senior management shares the current state of play, forward-looking plans, earnings, and other metrics (which aren't shared in other similar firms).
Excellent facilities: food, gym, massage, discounts, company trips, parties, swag... a long list.
Cons: A few senior staff continue to knowingly exercise rude behavior with people who are relatively new in the firm.
- 5.0Optiver provides everything needed for success, values work-life balance, and promotes collaboration and transparencySoftware Developer • Current EmployeeChicago, Illinois, United StatesApril 26, 2015Pros: As a software developer, I have found that everyone is very approachable across all levels in the company. If I ever have a question that needs answering, it's easy to sit down at someone's desk and get the answers I need. From a technical standpoint, I value Optiver's emphasis on starting with a simple solution and incrementally building up from there when needed. Another advantage is that since our customers are our internal traders, we have an immediate feedback loop where we can continually improve and tweak our applications until we have a really solid system. As far as company culture goes, I would say it is relaxed, and I enjoy the optional events and activities provided outside of work.Cons: Trading is a fast-moving industry, with products and strategies changing. This can put pressure on our applications to change frequently, but also provides new problems to tackle and keeps things interesting.
- 1.0Great Food, Political NightmareSoftware Developer • Current EmployeeSydney, New South Wales, AustraliaAugust 26, 2023Pros: Good food and large bonusesCons: Extremely political. The majority of where you must spend your time to survive at Optiver is politics. If you do not, you will be eaten by others that do. Management has zero interest in dissuading this behavior. Watch your commits, as large pieces of work will be quietly re-based into other developers' names. This is not by accident, as you'll start hearing word back that they're bragging about having written the code. Poor management promotes the worst people to management roles after seeing their own negative traits in them. Management is also gifted to long-term employees who cannot keep up with the technical work anymore. These managers all review each other, ensuring the quality stays low, as poor management has the majority and removes anyone that doesn't have the negative traits they hold up as ideal.
- 5.0Great Culture, Rude SeniorsSoftware Developer • Current EmployeeSydney, AustraliaAugust 10, 2020Pros: Definitely a great place to work: collaboration across teams, sharing of knowledge across teams and offices. Focus on diversity. Focus on organizational structure, which changes periodically to reflect changing business needs and to fix what's not working. High performers are rewarded extremely well. Senior management shares the current state of play, forward-looking plans, earnings, and other metrics (which aren't shared in other similar firms). Excellent facilities: food, gym, massage, discounts, company trips, parties, swag... a long list.Cons: A few senior staff continue to knowingly exercise rude behavior with people who are relatively new in the firm.
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