Infrastructure Quality Engineer Interview Experience - Palo Alto, California
Process
I was contacted by a recruiter for a 30-minute phone call to discuss the company. She asked a couple of technical questions that were easy and also found on this website.
After that, I had a phone call with an engineer, but it wasn't a typical coding phone screen. I didn't even need my laptop, as we talked through some system design questions (how would you design an elevator, Amazon, etc.).
Then I had another phone screen with an actual coding question, which I completed on CoderPad.
After that phone call, I was invited to come onsite. I had breakfast with an engineer to ask questions, followed by three interviews in the afternoon and a demo by two other engineers.
Before my interview, they had let me know that the hiring manager was on vacation that week, so if I had done a good job, I would still have to do one more Skype interview with them.
Ultimately, I did not move on past this stage, but I really enjoyed meeting the team, and the interviewers were all really nice. I think that Palantir is a very top company, and you have to interview almost perfectly.
Questions
System design questions mainly.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 3 interview experiences for the Palantir Infrastructure Quality Engineer role in Palo Alto, California.
Success Rate
Palantir's interview process for their Infrastructure Quality Engineer roles in Palo Alto, California is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Palantir's Infrastructure Quality Engineer interview process in Palo Alto, California.
Palantir Work Experiences
- 5.0Some of the brightest minds in the industryInfrastructure Quality Engineer • Current EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesOctober 15, 2015Pros: Talented, hard-working individuals. Lots of amenities. A great opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the smartest people in Silicon Valley.Cons: Poor work-life balance, not suited for people with families. Very young middle management means that they're inexperienced and sometimes stumble on things that other managers wouldn't have issues with.
- 5.0Save the ShireInfrastructure Quality Engineer • Current EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesAugust 18, 2015Pros: I joined Palantir in 2010 when the company had about 250 employees. I had worked at one company (> 10,000 employees) for many years before changing jobs in 2010. Needless to say, I was nervous with such a drastic change in my career. I'm now in my sixth year at Palantir, and I have to say that the transition was smooth. I continue to enjoy my work here every single day. Here are the pros I can think of: * Technical challenging projects that allow you to grow your technical skills. There is plenty of help from experienced engineers in the organization to ensure you don't feel lost. * Excellent leadership at the Director level and first-line leads. Directors are open to any feedback, are very approachable, and always trying to help out engineers. * Good work-life balance. I'm hearing some horror stories from my colleagues in the tech industry, but I haven't had many problems here. I have been able to spend plenty of time with my family all these years. * Absolute meritocracy and very little bureaucracy. There are very good resources available in terms of systems, facilities, etc. * Very good perks.Cons: Like any other enterprise software company in this day and age, Palantir faces a stern test when it comes to figuring out what exactly their customers want and how they can deliver software for these needs. Because of this, the company does make significant organizational and philosophical changes frequently. This can cause some confusion amongst engineers, but I've generally seen company leadership providing lots of knowledge on why/how a change in direction was made.
- 4.0Great place to workInfrastructure Quality Engineer • Current EmployeeDecember 14, 2015Pros: Very driven, smart people to work with. Flexible and understanding leads who actually try to ensure you're enjoying your job.Cons: A bit Kool-Aid-y about the impact they're having and improving the world.
Palantir Interview Questions
