System Design Interviews for L4

Question

If I’m interviewing for an L4 position at FAANG+, I understand that the system design expectations aren’t as high as they would be for more senior roles.

Should I treat the system design interview somewhat like a behavioral round, focusing on skills like breaking down complex tasks, asking clarifying questions, addressing ambiguity, being open to feedback, and showing vulnerability—essentially, qualities expected at a Junior to Mid level?

If I don’t know the specific answers to questions about scaling or other advanced technical topics, would it be fair to approach the system design round as a way to show how I’d collaborate and operate on the team?

My main concern is that if I take this approach, the interviewer might still expect deeper technical knowledge and tell me, “You should already know this and have experience with it.” I am looking to avoid this surprise.

Any insights would be deeply appreciated.

Rahul Pandey · Accepted Answer

I wouldn't treat a System Design round as a behavioral interview for two reasons:  Mid-level engineers should be able to have reasonable conversations with system design. I recommend starting the basic design done relatively quickly, as Guarav recommends in his course: Building The Basic Design   Then you can check with the interviewer on what domain or area to explore more deeper. Many companies use system design to determine your level. So it may not be established to the interviewer that you are an L4, mid-level. If you do well enough, you could come in at a higher level.

System Design Interviews for L4

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