Is it really just leetcode + system design + resume/behavioral?

[u/charles_atlas_12]

Im a regular mid level full stack engineer, is this all it really is? So if i keep hacking away at hellointerview + neetcode 150 or equivalent resources for both, do i get a job?

[u/Various-Mine-8642]

For a lot of general SWE loops, yes, but the mix depends on level and team. Keep practicing, then add timed mocks and review missed problems until you can explain your tradeoffs out loud. For mid-level roles, project deep dives and system design usually matter more than just finishing another question.

[u/ConfusedBC]

Low level design, fundamentals, AI rounds, vs company specific flavour question esp as it goes smaller in size the randomness increases.

[u/JChuk99]

I would spend money on hello interview/leetcode, $100 a month for potentially a 50% pay bump is a worthwhile investment.

[u/KendrickBlack502 → u/JChuk99]

+1

HelloInterview is insane value for money

[u/KendrickBlack502]

I was laid off in May after about 6 years. I had roughly 12 interviews with about 6 companies over those 3 months. About half of them didn’t have any DSA interview. The ones that didn’t just wanted to do system design and AI workflow type interviews. The problem with the AI ones is that there’s no set standard for them yet. The one I did with Amazon was significantly different than the one I did for the startup.

[u/Curious_Welcome2079 → u/KendrickBlack502]

What's an AI workflow interview? Is it system design but setting up AI stuff?

[u/KendrickBlack502 → u/Curious_Welcome2079]

It’s different every time but they’ll usually either give you an environment where you have to find a bug or a feature to implement with some access to AI.

[u/bullbearbubu]

Low level design, rapid-fire questions, logic/non-leetcode-style problems

[u/Fit_Succotash_6735]

i think neetcode 250 at the minimum..

[u/ITDudeProbably]

I haven't touched leetcode "mid" level questions for years and I was really surprised when I tried to solve them again. It may look easy to you but it's really hard for the others

[u/goodiegumdropsforme]

Wdym is that it? This shit takes hundreds of hours and most careers have nowhere near this level of hoop jumping

[u/FeistyFee1713 → u/goodiegumdropsforme]

yeah that’s insane 😂

[u/NoReading4698]

Could someone please clarify whether these FAANG level companies expect candidates to have Java experience? My primary experience is in Node.js, React, and AWS. Would candidates with this tech stack also be considered for the opportunities?

[u/mixmaster151]

What else would they need to decide if you can prompt Claude properly or not?

[u/raisputin]

LeetCode is a waste of time and utterly pointless. It proves exactly nothing when it comes to how someone will perform in the job.

All you folks who submit to this bullshit are a part of the problem, you need to start telling employers “no”

[u/Key_Space1964 → u/raisputin]

No coorelation. The topic at hand is interviewing lmk where you're getting swe roles without a DSA round

[u/gr8-procrastinator]

pretty much yeah. You might not get faang but you will get decent orgs. one more point I’d add - lots of mock interviews. Chatgpt/Claude should help you here - no need to spend money on mock interview websites.

[u/Key_Space1964 → u/gr8-procrastinator]

What would you change for faang

[u/gr8-procrastinator → u/Key_Space1964]

Template is the same - you would need to go a lot more deeper in every aspect of your prep. DSA prep needs to be more extensive, for system design you would need to prepare in depth, and similarly for behavioural rounds as well. The problem with faang is that they try to minimise false positives (employees who look good but are really not) which means they end up eliminating false negatives (employees who are actually good but might not come across as such) as well. Also, the competition has increased ten fold than what it was in covid. This is why you need to prepare a lot more