Cracking the LinkedIn Software Engineer Interview: The Ultimate Guide

If you have an interview coming up for a software engineering role at LinkedIn, you’ve likely heard how rigorous their process can be. LinkedIn receives thousands of applicants every year, so they’ve designed a thorough interview funnel to hire the best of the best.

This complete guide will teach you everything you need to know to do well in your LinkedIn software engineer interviews, such as:

• What to expect during the interview process and timeline
• The most frequent coding, system design, and behavioral questions
• Tips to prepare effectively

Let’s get started!

Overview of the LinkedIn Software Engineer Interview Process

Here are the main steps to expect:

• Initial resume and skills assessment
• Take-home coding assignment
• Technical phone screen(s)
• Onsite interviews (4-5 rounds mixed technical and behavioral)

The process takes around 4-8 weeks from initial contact to offer

During your interviews, you’ll be primarily assessed on:

• Coding fundamentals – data structures, algorithms, complexity
• System design and architecture
• Communication and problem solving
• Culture fit with LinkedIn’s values

LinkedIn places a big emphasis on cultural fit so be ready for in-depth behavioral and collaboration questions.

Now let’s look at the technical questions.

LinkedIn Coding Interview Questions

Coding questions test your knowledge of computer science fundamentals. Brush up on:

• Data structures – arrays, hash tables, trees, graphs
• Algorithms – sorting, searching, recursion, dynamic programming
• Object-oriented design and modeling

Here are some of the most frequent topics based on Glassdoor data:

Arrays and Strings

• Rotate or reverse a string
• Generate permutations or combinations of a string
• Implement a spell checker given a dictionary

Linked Lists

• Find the kth node from the end in a linked list
• Remove duplicates from a sorted linked list
• Reverse a singly linked list iteratively and recursively

Trees and Graphs

• Find the height or depth of a binary tree
• Check if a binary tree is balanced
• Find shortest path between two nodes in a graph

Dynamic Programming

• Count number of ways to climb stairs or jump steps
• 0/1 Knapsack problem
• Longest increasing subsequence

Object Oriented Design

• Design parking garage or ATM classes
• Design classes for dominos game

Start with basic data structures and work up to more complex algorithms and modeling. Review Big O notation and be cognizant of efficiency.

On the coding portion, LinkedIn focuses more on conceptual knowledge than LeetCode-style speed grinding, so really understand how things work under the hood.

LinkedIn System Design Questions

You’ll likely get 1-2 system design questions during onsite interviews. Some examples:

• Design a scalable system for LinkedIn’s newsfeed
• Design LinkedIn’s database schema
• Design a system for LinkedIn Jobs or LinkedIn Learning
• Design an API rate limiting system

The goals are to assess your:

• Technical knowledge – databases, caching, microservices, etc
• System architecture skills – high scalability, reliability
• Problem solving approach – clarifying requirements, identifying tradeoffs

For preparation, read up on scalable system design concepts. Go through examples like designing Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Uber, etc.

Focus on having a structured approach: scope requirements, sketch high-level design, point out flaws, estimate scale, discuss optimizations. Demonstrate you can design complex systems used by millions.

LinkedIn Behavioral Interview Questions

You’ll be asked behavioral questions in all your interviews to assess your cultural fit. Some common topics:

Leadership

• Tell me about a time you inspired a team
• When have you driven change in your organization?

Demonstrate people management skills and ability to influence without authority. Show you can rally people towards vision.

Communication

• Give an example of communicating complex ideas simply
• How did you handle a miscommunication at work?

Prove you can listen well, tailor messaging, and resolve conflicts. Show patience and emotional intelligence.

Problem Solving

• Walk me through a difficult technical problem you solved
• Tell me about a time you were blocked on a project and how you got unstuck

Show structured analytical thinking and creative problem solving skills. Demonstrate grit and resourcefulness.

Failures and Feedback

• Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned
• How do you proactively seek feedback from peers?

Explain your reflection process after setbacks. Show you act on feedback and constantly aim to improve.

Use the STAR method to structure your answers – Situation, Task, Action, Result. Pick stories demonstrating LinkedIn’s core values like relationships, transparency, and integrity.

How to Prepare for Your LinkedIn Interview

With LinkedIn’s notoriously challenging process, preparation is critical. Here are my top strategies:

• Study up on data structures, algorithms, system design and object-oriented modeling – these form the core of the technical interviews
• Practice mock interviews focused on collaborative problem solving
• Do several mock take-home assignments under a time limit
• Review LinkedIn’s core values and prepare STAR stories demonstrating those values
• Research LinkedIn products and business, and understand their technology
• Grind LeetCode, specifically top LinkedIn questions
• Get plenty of rest, stay calm, and believe in yourself!

If you put in the hard work, you can absolutely nail your LinkedIn interview. Trust the process, leverage your strengths, and show them what you’ve got! The effort will pay off.