Acing your Android Software Engineering Interview at Postmates
Android Engineers at Postmates build and own the end-to-end deployment of three critical Android apps that power our revolutionary logistics platform – the Buyer, Fleet, and Merchant apps – to help connect millions of customers with everything they need every day. Food, drinks, groceries… you name it. Want to join our team? Check out these top tips from our technical recruiter Blake Iverson on how to prepare and ace the Software Engineering - Android interview process at Postmates.
Tell us more about your role at Postmates?
I’m currently partnering with engineering leads to help grow and scale our core backend and mobile product engineering teams. I work full-cycle, and that means everything from reviewing applications to extending offers and making sure our new hire onboarding is set up properly.
What’s something people might not know about the organization you support?
For the scale at which we operate, we have a very lean android engineering team. I think a lot of people are surprised to hear this when they realize how large the Android teams are at our main competitors.
Tell us more about the team culture of the org/function you support.
The team sits in more of a feature-based pod, so while the team is lean, they may be split up on a handful of different smaller teams. With COVID-19, we have become a very remote-friendly org and switched to more hangouts and slack to keep the communication open and the team culture intact.
Share 1-3 top tips on how candidates can make their job applications shine and ace their interviews to land the job.
- Don’t focus on projects from school as much as open-source projects on your resume if you do not have a lot of industry experience.
- Practice for at least two weeks on general coding or android related questions on LeetCode.com before your technical rounds.
Share one of the most common mistakes you’ve seen candidates make with their job application or interview.
The biggest mistake, which is almost always avoidable, is not doing enough research on Postmates and the team they’re interviewing for. Some of our most successful candidates articulate a high-level understanding of how their experience can contribute to the mission and vision of Postmates. Showing genuine interest and passion for what we are building here will help you stand out from the crowd and shine in your interviews.
Share your top tips to ace the interview and land the job.
- Come prepared with relevant questions about Postmates and our Engineering culture.
- Take time to practice technical coding and Android design/programming before your interviews.
- Bring thoughtful feedback you might have about our Android app. One candidate did this and made a great first impression at their interview because it showed that they actually cared about the product and could make an immediate change if they were to be hired.
Final tip/advice for candidates who are interested in applying and working at Postmates.
Please read the job requirements (years of experience, relevant experience, etc) before applying. While we would love to give everyone a chance, we do have to hire based on the requirements of the team’s needs.
Want more details about the role? Check out the posting here: Software Engineering - Android
