Interview Process Overview

1. Initial Recruiter Outreach

The process starts with a recruiter email asking if you’re interested in interviewing.

They may ask a few basic questions (e.g., timeline, resume clarifications). If you say yes, they will send:

  • An Online Assessment (OA) — coding problems
  • A Behavioral Questionnaire — written responses to behavioral-style questions

After that, you’ll move to the interview stage.


2. Interview Structure

RoleRounds
Intern1 Coding Interview
New Grad2 Coding Interviews + 1 Behavioral Round

Coding Interview(s)

  • Length: 45 minutes
  • Format: 2 coding questions
    • Usually either:
      • 2 Mediums
      • or 1 Easy + 1 Hard
  • Typical Leetcode-style interview expectations:
    • Ask clarifying questions at the start
    • Talk through your approach out loud
    • Write clean, optimal code
    • Handle edge cases
    • Discuss time & space complexity

Note: From what I’ve seen, you need to fully and optimally solve both questions to receive an offer.


Behavioral Interview (New grad only)

  • Length: 45 minutes
  • Format: Standard behavioral questions (STAR format)
    • e.g., “Tell me about a time you had a conflict…”
    • “Tell me about a time you showed leadership…”

I used the same STAR spreadsheet I made for Amazon interviews, just expanded with more stories & metrics.

Expect some resume deep dive as well similar to databricks.


3. Critical Advice — USE META’S RESOURCES

One of the best things about the Meta interview process is the sheer amount of resources they provide — take advantage of ALL of them.

  • Weekly Mock Interview Zoom sessions

    • Meta engineers live-solve problems
    • They explain exactly what interviewers look for
  • Meta Career Hub Practice Problems

    • Official Meta practice questions
  • Interview Prep Videos

    • By Gayle Laakmann McDowell (Author of Cracking the Coding Interview)
  • Coffee Chats with Meta Engineers

    • Opportunity to learn about team culture
    • Come prepared with thoughtful questions — respect their time!

Tip: Using these resources is a huge advantage — don’t skip them.


4. Offer Timeline

My offer came in a few days — but that was because I had other offers and Meta expedited my process.

Typical offer timeline:

  • ~3 days (expedited)
  • Up to 3 weeks (normal)

5. Official Meta Prep Guide

Meta has their own preparation guide here:

Meta SWE Interview Prep Guide


Final Thoughts

  • The coding rounds are very competitive — aim for fully correct & optimal solutions.
  • The behavioral round is classic STAR — reuse stories from other interview prep (Amazon, etc.), but keep adding to them.
  • TAKE ADVANTAGE OF META’S RESOURCES — they exist to help you succeed.
  • Be proactive, prepared, and intentional — especially for coffee chats.

Good luck!