Real Interview Experiences
Learn what to expect directly from candidates and interviewers who've been through it.
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“It didn't go as expected. I did not have as many interviews as expected, and overall, the process wasn't great as the recruiter changed midway.”
“The process was recruiter call followed by technical screen. If one is successful, then virtual onsite - coding and system design/project depending on the team matched with. Recruiters are helpful and explain the process well and send the required material for preparation.”
“The online tech assessment was on the hard side. 2 Medium-to-Hard questions in 90 minutes. Hidden test cases in CodeSignal was a challenge.”
“The process was quick with all interview rounds initially scheduled in the same week. The technical interviews were adapted to real world code implementations and didn't directly relate to Leetcode style problems. The system design round was very open-ended with no definite question and highly ambiguous requirements.”
“The Overall Interview ProcessStep 1: Online Assessment (OA): A 60-90 minute screening on platforms like Codility or HackerRank, often featuring 2 LeetCode Medium coding questions and sometimes logic or SQL-based multiple-choice questions.Step 2: Technical Screening (often via Karat): A live technical interview with a third-party partner like Karat. This focuses on core Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) and fundamental software engineering principles.Step 3: Technical Deep-Dive / Team Panel: A more thorough session with Citi engineers focusing on System Design, Java/Python specifics (like multithreading or database ACID properties), and a deep-dive into your past project architecture.Step 4: Hiring Manager / Behavioral Round: A "culture fit" discussion using the STAR method to evaluate your teamwork and communication, often ending with HR discussions on salary and policy”
“I completed four interview rounds, from the initial recruiter screen to the final System Design round. HR was very supportive throughout the process. The coding rounds consisted of one Medium LeetCode session and one scenario-based OOP coding session. I didn't pass the final System Design stage; feedback indicated they value design skills more than coding speed or syntax, noting that AI tools have made the implementation side of engineering much easier.”
“Hiring managers asked a lot of questions about Java internals, Java build system internals (Maven vs Gradle behaviors), networking internals (HTTP vs HTTP2)”
“Technical interviews were mostly fine. 6 rounds, marathon-style. Did all interviews and was ghosted afterwards, no follow ups, no rejection emails, nothing.”
“The process was structured, thoughtful, and generally well run. The interviews felt focused on practical judgment, problem-solving, communication, and how I approach ambiguous technical and product situations. I appreciated that the conversations were substantive rather than purely checklist-based. What went well was that I felt able to draw on real examples from my past work, especially around leading technical projects, working with customers, and making tradeoffs under uncertainty. The interviewers were engaged and asked good follow-ups, which made the discussions feel collaborative. What was harder was that some parts required being very concise while still giving enough technical depth. In a few moments, I probably could have structured my answers more clearly upfront before going into details.”
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“The weirdest Anthropic round was the company values interview. It was almost like a therapy session, and honestly if you went to a therapist at some point, you will pass that round much more easily.”
“What was very unusual is they didn’t give me any tooling to draw the system design, so I just sketched it on a piece of paper and talked them through it, then we got into this oddly deep debate about whether hover-over history should count as a recommendation signal.”
