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Senior Software Engineer Interview Experience

September 1, 2025
Negative ExperienceNo Offer

Process

It was a screening round and a full four-round interview.

I admit that I didn't do well on the system design round, but giving me feedback that I didn't ask clarifying questions (after I commented and discussed every single word I wrote in my solutions) and that my knowledge of specific technologies is not deep enough (after I solved the problem within the first 10 minutes of the interview and then explained what I would improve further) was absolutely generic.

I suspect someone just didn't like me (which is fine, and they should have been frank about it).

Also a lot of behavioral stuff, almost as much as you get at Amazon.

The interviewing Director wasn't a pleasant person, who seemed absolutely disinterested in listening to my honest answers but was focused on rushing through a list of prepared questions.

Additionally, the company people missed several of my emails and didn't turn up on two of the booked sessions, which was, as I understand now, a red flag.

I will not apply anymore.

Questions

An easy algorithmic question (determining whether or not a string is a palindrome) as a screening round. One system design round (web API design), one technical round (implementing a feature in an iOS app), and two chaotic behavioral rounds.

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 29 interview experiences for the Toast Senior Software Engineer role.

Success Rate

17%
Pass Rate

Toast's interview process for their Senior Software Engineer roles is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.

Experience Rating

Positive38%
Neutral10%
Negative52%

Candidates reported having negative feelings for Toast's Senior Software Engineer interview process.

Toast Work Experiences