LinkedIn interviews can seem daunting for job seekers, but with the right preparation they don’t have to be hard. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll look at what to expect in a LinkedIn interview, tips for acing the LinkedIn coding tests and assessments, and example LinkedIn interview questions and answers to help you practice.
What to Expect in a LinkedIn Interview
LinkedIn interviews typically follow a structured process:
- Initial phone screen – A 30 minute call with a recruiter to evaluate basic skills and experience.
- Technical phone interview – A 45-60 minute call where you’ll be asked more in-depth technical questions.
- On-site interview – If successful so far, you’ll be invited to LinkedIn’s offices for a full day of 4-6 back-to-back interviews covering your experience, technical knowledge, and culture fit.
- Technical assessments – You may be asked to complete a timed coding test or technical project either before or after the on-site interview.
LinkedIn interviews will focus on three main areas:
- Experience – Interviewers will ask about your background, resume details, and how your skills relate to the role.
- Technical skills – Expect questions testing your hard skills for the job like coding, data structures and algorithms.
- Culture fit – LinkedIn evaluates if you’ll thrive in and contribute to the company culture.
How to Prepare for a LinkedIn Interview
Here are some top tips for acing a LinkedIn interview:
- Research the role and company – Study the job description and learn about LinkedIn’s products, business model, culture and recent news.
- Practice answering common questions – Prepare short stories using the STAR method highlighting your relevant skills and accomplishments.
- Brush up on technical skills – Review coding fundamentals, data structures, algorithms and other technical topics.
- Use online coding platforms – Complete practice challenges on sites like LeetCode, HackerRank and Codility to prepare for coding tests.
- Mock interview – Do a practice interview with a friend to get experience answering questions verbally while staying calm under pressure.
LinkedIn Coding Tests
Many LinkedIn software engineering and data science roles require completing a technical coding assessment. Here’s what to expect:
- Typically a 60-90 minute timed online test.
- Focused on data structures, algorithms, object oriented programming and debugging skills.
- Language is usually candidate’s choice – Python and Java most common.
- Completed via online IDE like HackerRank, without access to internet.
- Problems resemble LeetCode medium difficulty level.
To pass the LinkedIn coding test, practice mock assessments under timed conditions. Master recursion, tree traversal, graph algorithms, dynamic programming, bit manipulation and other core CS concepts.
LinkedIn Coding Test Question Examples
Here are some examples of actual coding questions asked in LinkedIn assessments:
- Two Sum – Given an array of integers and a target integer k, determine if there are two integers in the array that add up to k.
- Reverse a Linked List – Write a function to reverse the nodes of a Singly Linked List in place.
- Valid Parentheses – Given a string only containing ‘(‘, ‘)’, ‘{‘, ‘}’, ‘[‘ and ‘]’, determine if the parenthesis are validly nested.
- Rotate Array – Rotate an array right by k elements, where k is an integer.
LinkedIn SQL Assessment
For data science and analytics roles, LinkedIn may give a SQL coding test. Tips for success:
- Practice queries on large datasets to improve speed and efficiency.
- Strengthen complex joins, aggregations, window functions and other SQL skills.
- Brush up on MySQL and PostgreSQL syntax.
- Review database normalization, indexing, and performance tuning.
LinkedIn SQL Interview Questions
Here are some common SQL interview questions asked by LinkedIn:
- Write a query to find the top 5 revenue generating products.
- How would you optimize a slow performing query?
- What are the differences between an INNER and OUTER join?
- How can you find duplicate records in a table?
LinkedIn Behavioral Interview Questions
LinkedIn behavioral interviews focus on your past experience, leadership skills, communication abilities and other soft skills. Some questions to prepare for include:
- Tell me about yourself and walk me through your resume.
- Why do you want to work at LinkedIn?
- Describe a challenging project or deadline you faced. How did you approach and overcome it?
- When have you had to collaborate closely with teammates to achieve a goal?
- Give an example of a time you provided excellent customer service.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Use the STAR method – situation, task, action, result – to structure your answers with concise, relevant stories.
LinkedIn Technical Interview Questions
LinkedIn technical interviews will assess your hard skills for the job through coding challenges and technical questions. Some topics include:
Data Structures
- Explain how a hash table works.
- Implement a queue using stacks.
- Find the most frequently occurring element in an array.
Algorithms
- Write a function to check if a binary tree is a binary search tree.
- Find the shortest path between two nodes in an unweighted graph.
- Reverse a string iteratively and recursively.
Object Oriented Programming
- Explain inheritance, encapsulation and polymorphism.
- Design an abstract class to represent a generic repository.
- How would you reduce coupling between objects?
LinkedIn System Design Interview
For senior engineering roles, LinkedIn conducts system design interviews to assess your skills designing large scale software systems. Expect questions like:
- Design Facebook’s newsfeed system.
- Design a URL shortening service like Bitly.
- Design Netflix’s video streaming service.
- Design an API rate limiting system.
Do mock system design interviews to practice. Outline requirements, sketch high level designs, estimate scale, and discuss tradeoffs while communicating your thought process clearly.
How LinkedIn Evaluates Interview Performance
According to LinkedIn, here’s how interviewers assess your performance:
Dimension | What Interviewers Look For |
---|---|
Leadership | Vision, creativity, inspiration, emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, influencing others. |
Teamwork | Collaboration, communication, helpfulness, team building skills, service mentality. |
Results | Impact, achievement, execution, analytical thinking, productivity, grit. |
Depth | Expertise, creative problem solving, resilience, product sense, technical excellence. |
Breadth | Learning ability, adaptability, versatility, building relationships, self-development. |
Understanding LinkedIn’s criteria can help you emphasize the qualities they look for during your interviews.
LinkedIn Interview Tips
Here are some final tips for acing your LinkedIn interviews:
- Show passion and interest in LinkedIn’s mission.
- Clearly communicate your thought process when coding.
- Stay organized in the on-site round by keeping track of interviewers and questions.
- Send personalized thank you notes to each of your interviewers.
- Ask insightful questions that show your understanding of LinkedIn’s culture and products.
- Follow up promptly if you receive an offer to negotiate salary or benefits.
Conclusion
With thorough preparation, strong technical fundamentals, and good communication skills, you can put your best foot forward in a LinkedIn interview. Expect questions testing your past experience, coding abilities, design skills and behavioral traits. Use online practice resources, do mock interviews, research the company, and review the technologies and role requirements. With some hard work, you can ace the LinkedIn interview process.