Senior Backend Engineer Interview Experience - Berlin, Germany
April 1, 2020
Negative ExperienceNo Offer
Process
The interview consisted of six parts.
The first part was a 30-minute Zoom call with HR, which included a typical introduction and some basic Java questions. The second part was a one-hour live coding session, also via Zoom.
What was good:
- HR was friendly and focused on understanding if the candidate was a good match. She understood that correct answers might be phrased differently, so she clarified answers to ensure they were correct, rather than just blindly matching them with symbols on a Q&A sheet.
- Feedback was provided relatively quickly after each stage. Feedback on the live coding session included both positives and negatives, and a follow-up call to discuss the feedback was suggested.
What was bad:
- The calendar link led to a buggy service.
- Using Q&A from a sheet felt risky; I worried about my answer exactly matching the paper's response rather than providing the correct answer. Fortunately, HR was wise enough to clarify when something didn't match precisely, giving me a chance to rephrase.
Live coding part:
- The interviewer was not very friendly and blamed me for connection problems, not even considering the issue might be on his side. I tried using my laptop microphone and headphone microphone (both worked perfectly before), but the issue persisted. There was no attempt to check anything on his end, and I felt his mood deteriorated because of it.
- The task itself was very easy. Combined with the feedback, this gave the impression that the company is looking for fast-typing coding monkeys.
- In the negative feedback points, coding speed was mentioned (when the task was more about typing than real-world coding). Nothing was mentioned about the sound issues or the time spent resolving them, which could have been on the interviewer's side.
- Two other negative points are valid to an extent, but only for the interview context, such as thinking aloud. One usually stays silent while coding, and during an interview, it's pointless to comment on boilerplate code that needs to be implemented for tests.
- Some of the interviewer's instructions were misleading. He recognized this, but it didn't feel like it impacted the feedback.
Overall, the impression was exactly like, "Live coding is a part which made me think that there was no intention to hire, like a conveyor type of an interview." (c)
Sr. Software Engineer Interview on Feb 19, 2020 https://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/Revolut-Interview-Questions-E1176471.htm?filter.jobTitleExact=Sr.+Software+Engineer#InterviewReview_31965370
It seems I experienced almost the same issues as this person. Also, regarding the "coding monkeys" aspect, this reviewer had a similar experience: https://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/Revolut-Senior-Software-Engineer-Interview-Questions-EI_IE1176471.0,7_KO8,32.htm#InterviewReview_32825188
Hopefully, this and other feedback will improve the process for future candidates. Best regards.
Questions
TDD, SOLID, and basic Java questions from the list provided by Engineers.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 3 interview experiences for the Revolut Senior Backend Engineer role in Berlin, Germany.
Success Rate
0%
Pass Rate
Revolut's interview process for their Senior Backend Engineer roles in Berlin, Germany is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive33%
Neutral0%
Negative67%
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Revolut's Senior Backend Engineer interview process in Berlin, Germany.
Revolut Work Experiences
3.0
Good Product, Little Growth
Senior Backend Engineer • Current Employee
London, England, United Kingdom
July 25, 2024
Pros: good and impactful product
diverse and talented people
Cons: Not much perks.
Bureaucracy.
Few career paths to grow to.
Could burn you out.
2.0
Toxic work environment, micromanagement, but great salary
Senior Backend Engineer • Former Employee
Berlin, Germany
May 23, 2021
Pros: Great salary or package with no extra benefits.
Cons: No clear boundaries and role definition for engineering and product departments.
Projects are mostly driven by Product Owners, with very little say from engineers.
Micro-management by Product Owners, which is justified as POs are concerned about product delivery. (This is a serious problem, as micro-management is not considered worth solving and is instead justified by stating POs are more concerned, indirectly implying engineers are not and showing a lack of trust between the two groups).
No clear career progression framework; employees are simply promoted based on project delivery (without validating the quality of the delivered product) and with no proper 360-degree feedback compilation.
Revolut has some young, talented people in prominent positions who consider their way of working as the only correct way and do not even bother to understand other perspectives and concerns with the approach followed.
5.0
Lots of smart, hard-working people around
Senior Backend Engineer • Current Employee
February 23, 2024
Pros: A solid place to work if you are a software engineer. There are lots of smart people here. So, no matter your skill level, you will meet many talented, knowledgeable individuals to learn from.
Another aspect is the great product. This seems to be because the founders truly care about it, down to the last tiny detail. And it shows. This is the case where you are building something you can always proudly recommend to a friend.
Cons: You have to work hard, and you have to deliver. Both are only possible long-term if you enjoy what you are doing.
- 3.0Good Product, Little GrowthSenior Backend Engineer • Current EmployeeLondon, England, United KingdomJuly 25, 2024Pros: good and impactful product diverse and talented peopleCons: Not much perks. Bureaucracy. Few career paths to grow to. Could burn you out.
- 2.0Toxic work environment, micromanagement, but great salarySenior Backend Engineer • Former EmployeeBerlin, GermanyMay 23, 2021Pros: Great salary or package with no extra benefits.Cons: No clear boundaries and role definition for engineering and product departments. Projects are mostly driven by Product Owners, with very little say from engineers. Micro-management by Product Owners, which is justified as POs are concerned about product delivery. (This is a serious problem, as micro-management is not considered worth solving and is instead justified by stating POs are more concerned, indirectly implying engineers are not and showing a lack of trust between the two groups). No clear career progression framework; employees are simply promoted based on project delivery (without validating the quality of the delivered product) and with no proper 360-degree feedback compilation. Revolut has some young, talented people in prominent positions who consider their way of working as the only correct way and do not even bother to understand other perspectives and concerns with the approach followed.
- 5.0Lots of smart, hard-working people aroundSenior Backend Engineer • Current EmployeeFebruary 23, 2024Pros: A solid place to work if you are a software engineer. There are lots of smart people here. So, no matter your skill level, you will meet many talented, knowledgeable individuals to learn from. Another aspect is the great product. This seems to be because the founders truly care about it, down to the last tiny detail. And it shows. This is the case where you are building something you can always proudly recommend to a friend.Cons: You have to work hard, and you have to deliver. Both are only possible long-term if you enjoy what you are doing.
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