Get a Job at Netflix: Interview Process and Top Questions

Learn how to prepare for Netflix interviews with this in-depth guide.

We break down the Netflix interview process and the top questions you should expect to answer.

About Netflix

What is Netflix?

Founded in 1997, Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service, revolutionizing the way people consume media and entertainment globally.

Originally a DVD-by-mail service, Netflix has evolved into a global entertainment powerhouse with over 260 million subscribers across more than 190 countries, producing award-winning original content and pioneering streaming technology.

Where is Netflix located?

With headquarters in Los Gatos, California, Netflix operates globally.

Netflix has major offices in Los Angeles, New York, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, Seoul, Mumbai, and São Paulo.

The company employs over 15,000 people worldwide.

Who does Netflix hire?

Netflix views itself as a high-performing sports team and sets an exceptionally high bar for talent acquisition.

The company seeks candidates who embody its core values and can thrive in a "Dream Team" environment.

Netflix fights for the world's best technical talent and requires unanimous hiring decisions from interview panels. The company's famous "Keeper Test" ensures they only hire people they would fight to retain.

Netflix Interview Guides

Get role-specific insights for Netflix interviews:

• Netflix Software Engineer (SWE) Interview Guide
• Netflix Engineering Manager (EM) Interview Guide
• Netflix Machine Learning Engineer (MLE) Interview Guide

Netflix Interview Process

The Netflix interview process includes:

• A recruiter phone screen,
• A technical screen or take-home assessment,
• An extensive two-part final round.

Netflix is an engineering-focused company where most roles emphasize technical knowledge or the ability to integrate with engineering teams.

The process isn't centralized, meaning different teams may follow different formats.

How long does the interview process take?

Netflix's interview process typically takes 3-6 weeks from initial contact to final decision.

The timeline can vary significantly based on team availability and the complexity of role-specific assessments.

Does Netflix's interview process vary by role?

Netflix's interview process varies significantly between teams and roles. Hiring is decentralized.

Engineering roles focus heavily on system design and practical coding.

Data and ML roles emphasize experimentation and modeling, and product roles concentrate on strategy and metrics.

Is there a unique hiring requirement?

Yes, Netflix requires unanimous hiring decisions from all members of the interview panel.

You must perform well in every single interview round, as any negative feedback can result in rejection, regardless of other strong performances.

Recruiter Phone Screen

The interview process at Netflix begins with a 30-minute phone call with a recruiter, who will send you Netflix's core values before your conversation.

This initial screen evaluates your experience, motivation, and cultural alignment with Netflix's high-performance "Dream Team" philosophy.

What is the Netflix recruiter screen?

Be prepared to discuss:

• Your resume and relevant experience,
• Why you want to work at Netflix,
• How you've overcome significant obstacles,
• Your understanding of Netflix's core values,
• The remainder of the interview process.

Netflix places enormous emphasis on cultural fit, so highlight experiences that demonstrate leadership, innovation, and high performance under pressure.

How should I prepare for the recruiter call?

To prepare for the Netflix recruiter screen, thoroughly study Netflix's core values: selflessness, judgment, candor, creativity, courage, inclusion, curiosity, and resilience.

Research Netflix's content strategy, technology innovations, and recent business developments.

Practice articulating how your experience aligns with the "Dream Team" mentality and high-performance culture.

Technical Screen

If you pass the recruiter screen, you'll advance to a 45-60 minute technical assessment conducted by a manager or engineer.

What is the Netflix technical screen?

For technical roles, such as software engineering, you may choose between a live technical screening and a take-home assessment.

The live screen involves medium-difficulty data structure and algorithm questions mixed with real-world problem-solving scenarios.

Engineering roles focus on practical coding problems that simulate challenges you'd face working at Netflix.

Is the technical screen difficult?

Netflix's technical challenges are moderately complex, emphasizing practical application over theoretical knowledge.

The problems often relate to real-world scenarios you might encounter on Netflix teams, requiring both technical skills and systems thinking.

What about non-technical roles?

Data roles at Netflix involve SQL, probability, and experimentation questions, as well as discussions about data discovery and presentation experience.

Product and business roles receive technical questions about working with data and supporting technical teams, such as metrics analysis and data-driven decision-making.

Final Round Interviews

What is Netflix's final round?

The final round consists of two distinct parts, conducted virtually or in-person, depending on your location and role.

This comprehensive assessment evaluates both technical capabilities and cultural fit through multiple stakeholder interviews.

Part 1: Technical and Role-Specific Assessment

The first part typically consists of 5-6 interviews with various team members and leaders.

For technical roles, expect:

• System design challenges related to Netflix's architecture,
• Coding problems involving real-world Netflix scenarios,
• Deep technical discussions about scalability and reliability,
• Interview with the hiring manager covering technical, behavioral, and experience questions.

Part 2: Cultural Fit Assessment

The second part involves 3 shorter interviews with HR, hiring manager, and engineering/product leadership.

These interviews concentrate on cultural alignment with behavioral questions covering Netflix's core values, communication, collaboration, inclusion, and leadership.

How does the hiring decision work?

After completing all interviews, expect to wait 1-2 weeks for Netflix's decision.

The hiring team requires unanimous agreement from all interviewers. If any interviewer has concerns, the candidate is unlikely to receive an offer.

Can I reapply if rejected?

Yes, you can reapply to Netflix after 6-12 months if you're not initially hired.

Use the waiting period to address any feedback and strengthen your qualifications.

Netflix Interview Questions

These are examples of real interview questions asked at Netflix.

Behavioral

• Why do you want to work at Netflix?
• What do coworkers say about you? Share some positive and negative feedback you've received.
• Describe a challenging situation from your most recent team that you successfully resolved.
• Tell me about a time when you had to give difficult feedback to a coworker.
• Tell me about an obstacle you've overcome.
• Describe a time you demonstrated courage in your work.
• How do you handle working in an "uncomfortably exciting" environment?

Coding

• Given stock prices for the next n days, how can you maximize your profit by buying or selling one share per day?
• Valid parentheses
• Rotating the box
• Implement a content recommendation algorithm for Netflix's homepage.
• Design a data structure for efficiently storing and retrieving user viewing history.
• Optimize a video streaming buffer algorithm for varying network conditions.

System Design

• Design a streaming service like Netflix.
• Design a global content delivery network for video streaming.
• Design Reddit or a social media platform.
• Design TikTok's recommendation system.
• Tell me about a time you handled a security problem.
• Tell me about a time you built a system with high availability.
• Design a system to handle millions of concurrent video streams.

Data Science

• How do you detect anomalies in data?
• How would you design an experiment for a new video streaming feature?
• How would you determine if the price of a Netflix subscription causes churn?
• Write a SQL query to join 2 tables and extract some data.
• Describe a time you answered a business question with multiple datasets.
• How would you measure the success of Netflix's recommendation algorithm?
• Design an A/B test to evaluate a new content discovery feature.

Machine Learning

• Explain the differences between machine learning and deep learning.
• Explain the differences between classification and regression.
• When is a deep learning neural network inappropriate?
• Build a model to predict churn if Netflix raises its prices.
• How would you improve Netflix's content recommendation system?
• Design a machine learning system for automatic content tagging.

Product Management

• How would you prioritize features for Netflix's mobile app?
• What metrics would you use to measure Netflix's homepage success?
• How would you expand Netflix into a new international market?
• Design a feature to help users discover new content on Netflix.
• How would you decide which original content Netflix should produce?
• What would you do if user engagement dropped significantly?

Behavioral

The behavioral assessment at Netflix focuses on:

• Alignment with core values (selflessness, judgment, candor, creativity, courage, inclusion, curiosity, resilience),
• Cultural fit with "Dream Team" philosophy,
• Leadership and high-performance mindset,
• Communication and collaboration skills,
• And ability to thrive in an "uncomfortably exciting" environment.

Netflix places enormous emphasis on cultural fit, often considering it equally important as technical competence.

How should I prepare for behavioral questions at Netflix?

Prepare by deeply understanding Netflix's eight core values and the "Dream Team" philosophy.

Develop specific stories that demonstrate each value, particularly focusing on high-performance situations, giving/receiving candid feedback, and showing courage under challenging circumstances.

For behavioral interview questions, emphasize examples where you've operated at the highest level and made a significant impact.

Understanding the "Keeper Test" is crucial—prepare examples showing you're someone a manager would fight to retain.

Coding

Netflix's coding rounds emphasize practical engineering and focus on:

• Real-world system building,
• Clean, efficient code production,
• Large-scale system considerations,
• Problem-solving in complex environments.

How are coding rounds structured?

Engineering roles typically involve a take-home assessment that requires 2-4 hours of work, simulating realistic job tasks.

Final round coding interviews integrate system design elements, as scalability is central to Netflix's technical challenges.

What is the focus of coding rounds?

Netflix's coding challenges emphasize larger engineering scenarios rather than fundamental algorithm puzzles.

Common areas include:

• Distributed systems implementation,
• Video streaming optimization algorithms,
• Content recommendation system components,
• High-availability system design,
• Performance optimization techniques,
• Scalability and reliability patterns.

What does Netflix look for in engineers?

Netflix seeks engineers who can build reliable, scalable systems while working effectively in a high-performance team environment.

The company values diversity of thought and approaches, seeking engineers who can explore broad solution ranges rather than focusing narrowly on specific technologies.

System Design

System design is a core component of Netflix's technical interviews, focusing on large-scale systems that handle massive user traffic and content delivery.

Expect questions related to Netflix's current products and architectural challenges in streaming, recommendation, and content management.

How should I prepare for Netflix's system design round?

To prepare, study Netflix's technology stack, open-source initiatives, and service ecosystem interdependencies.

Focus on challenges specific to streaming platforms:

• Content delivery networks and global distribution,
• Load balancing for millions of concurrent streams,
• Database design for user preferences and viewing history,
• Real-time recommendation system architecture,
• API design for multiple client platforms,
• Security and content protection systems.

Read Netflix's engineering blog to understand their technical philosophy and current system designs.

Data Science

At Netflix, data scientists collaborate closely with product, engineering, and content teams to inform data-driven decisions across user engagement, content optimization, and business strategy.

What are Netflix's data interviews?

Netflix's data science interviews assess analytics capabilities, product thinking, business impact, and communication skills.

You'll meet with various stakeholders, including data scientists, engineers, product managers, and hiring managers.

How are data science interviews structured?

You can expect to present and analyze a case study as part of your final round, often involving real Netflix data and business scenarios.

Be prepared to discuss:

• SQL query optimization for large-scale data,
• Statistical analysis and hypothesis testing,
• A/B testing design and interpretation,
• Machine learning model development and evaluation,
• Business impact measurement and storytelling.

Focus on examples involving content recommendation, user engagement optimization, and churn prediction.

Machine Learning

Machine learning engineers at Netflix build ML systems that power content recommendations, personalization, content creation optimization, and user experience enhancement across the platform.

What are Netflix's machine learning interviews?

The ML interview process evaluates both theoretical knowledge and practical application of machine learning in production environments.

You'll need to demonstrate expertise in:

• Recommendation system design and optimization,
• Content analysis and automated tagging,
• User behavior prediction and modeling,
• A/B testing for ML model evaluation,
• Large-scale ML system deployment and monitoring.

How do I prepare for Netflix's machine learning interviews?

Focus on ML applications central to Netflix's business:

• Content recommendation: Collaborative filtering, deep learning models, and personalization algorithms,
• Content optimization: Natural language processing for metadata, computer vision for thumbnails,
• User engagement: Churn prediction, viewing pattern analysis, and engagement optimization,
• Content creation: ML-driven insights for original content development,
• Platform optimization: Streaming quality prediction, device-specific optimization.

Study Netflix's research publications and engineering blog posts about their ML infrastructure and model deployment strategies.

Product Management

Netflix's product management interviews assess strategic thinking, technical collaboration, and a comprehensive understanding of the entertainment and streaming markets.

You'll interview with cross-functional stakeholders and must demonstrate the ability to work effectively with engineering, data science, and content teams.

Product strategy

Product strategy interviews assess your understanding of Netflix's competitive position, content strategy, and international expansion opportunities.

Be prepared to discuss streaming market dynamics, the trade-offs between original content and licensed content, and user acquisition/retention strategies.

Technical collaboration

Technical interviews focus on your ability to work with engineering and data science teams on complex product challenges.

Study how Netflix uses data and machine learning to drive product decisions, from recommendation algorithms to content creation insights.

Execution and metrics

Execution rounds examine your ability to define success metrics, design experiments, and drive product improvements.

Prepare examples demonstrating experience with A/B testing, user research, and cross-functional project management in technical environments.

Content and user experience

Netflix-specific discussions cover content discovery, user engagement optimization, and platform experience across devices and markets.

Research Netflix's current product initiatives, interface evolution, and content strategy across different regions.

Netflix Interview Tips

Embrace the "Dream Team" culture.

Netflix's high-performance culture requires demonstrating excellence and leadership in every interaction.

Prepare examples showing you've operated at the highest level, taken ownership of challenging problems, and contributed to team success beyond your individual role.

Master Netflix's core values.

Cultural fit often determines hiring success at Netflix. Study all eight core values thoroughly and prepare specific examples that demonstrate each one.

Practice discussing how you've shown candor under challenging situations, curiosity in learning new skills, and courage in making tough decisions.

Understand the "Keeper Test."

Netflix's "Keeper Test" asks whether a manager would fight to retain you.

Prepare examples that demonstrate your indispensability through exceptional performance, unique contributions, and a positive impact on the team.

Show how you've made others around you better and contributed to team success in measurable ways.

FAQs

How competitive are Netflix interviews?

Netflix interviews are highly competitive, requiring both exceptional technical skills and a strong cultural fit.

The company's requirement for unanimous hiring decisions means you must excel in every single interview round to receive an offer.

Does Netflix hire new graduates?

Yes, Netflix hires new graduates for technical and business roles, utilizing modified interview processes that include take-home assignments and two interview rounds.

The company also offers internship programs for current students. Visit Netflix's careers page for current opportunities.

Does Netflix offer remote work options?

Netflix offers fully remote positions for specific roles, while many others follow hybrid schedules based at office locations.

Check Netflix's locations page for specific role requirements and available work arrangements.

How should I prepare for Netflix's focus on technical accuracy?

Since Netflix emphasizes practical engineering over theoretical algorithms, it focuses on building real systems and understanding large-scale architecture patterns.

Study Netflix's technology blog, practice system design problems related to streaming and content delivery, and prepare to discuss past projects involving scalability and reliability.

Netflix Interview Prep

Exponent has extensive resources to prepare you to feel your best when it comes time for your interview at Netflix:

• 💬 Brush up on interview questions asked at Netflix
• 📖 Read through these role-specific Netflix interview guides