Software Engineer Interview Experience - Chicago, Illinois
October 16, 2023
Positive ExperienceNo Offer
Process
The interview was rigorous and interesting, and the candidate was a fan of the process.
It was a three-part, three-hour and thirty-minute interview that included multiple components:
- Coding
- Logic
- Quick mental math calculations
It was an interesting and refreshing process.
Questions
It was a three-part, three-and-a-half-hour-long interview that included multiple components, from coding to logic.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 25 interview experiences for the Optiver Software Engineer role in Chicago, Illinois.
Success Rate
4%
Pass Rate
Optiver's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Chicago, Illinois is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive76%
Neutral20%
Negative4%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Optiver's Software Engineer interview process in Chicago, Illinois.
Optiver Work Experiences
4.0
Good culture and people
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Chicago, Illinois, United States
March 24, 2020
Pros: All the usual tech company perks (breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee).
Reasonable hours for finance in general.
Good compensation, with a transparent performance-based bonus system.
Cons: Hours could still be better. 8-5:30 PM is pretty much the minimum expected for software devs, and it only gets worse.
Compared to some other tech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty bad.
Compared to other fintech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty good/on par.
5.0
Great company to work for
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Chicago, Illinois, United States
April 20, 2021
Pros: Good work-life balance, good pay.
Cons: Technical debt in older projects (effort is starting to go into it). The bonus only comes once a year.
5.0
Putting people around the problem
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Chicago, Illinois, United States
September 9, 2017
Pros: People figure out how to own and solve problems; they aren't told how to solve them from top down.
Great people (traders and engineers) to work with, a respectful environment even when chaotic, and smart people who leave their egos at the door.
High pay and benefits.
Work/life balance, even in senior roles.
Promotions and bonuses based on merit, not longevity or connections.
As an engineer, you have the resources to build really well-engineered systems.
Cons: - Very competitive industry; a solution that worked last year needs constant improvement to work next year.
- We are never done solving a problem; it's a moving target.
- It is hard to measure improvements to systems in a constantly changing market.
- Sometimes we decide to throw away code we worked hard on, which can be tough.
- 4.0Good culture and peopleSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeChicago, Illinois, United StatesMarch 24, 2020Pros: All the usual tech company perks (breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee). Reasonable hours for finance in general. Good compensation, with a transparent performance-based bonus system.Cons: Hours could still be better. 8-5:30 PM is pretty much the minimum expected for software devs, and it only gets worse. Compared to some other tech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty bad. Compared to other fintech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty good/on par.
- 5.0Great company to work forSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeChicago, Illinois, United StatesApril 20, 2021Pros: Good work-life balance, good pay.Cons: Technical debt in older projects (effort is starting to go into it). The bonus only comes once a year.
- 5.0Putting people around the problemSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeChicago, Illinois, United StatesSeptember 9, 2017Pros: People figure out how to own and solve problems; they aren't told how to solve them from top down. Great people (traders and engineers) to work with, a respectful environment even when chaotic, and smart people who leave their egos at the door. High pay and benefits. Work/life balance, even in senior roles. Promotions and bonuses based on merit, not longevity or connections. As an engineer, you have the resources to build really well-engineered systems.Cons: - Very competitive industry; a solution that worked last year needs constant improvement to work next year. - We are never done solving a problem; it's a moving target. - It is hard to measure improvements to systems in a constantly changing market. - Sometimes we decide to throw away code we worked hard on, which can be tough.
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