THE dropbox INTERVIEW
Looking to land a job at Dropbox but don’t know what the process looks like?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. Detailed in this post is a look at the timeline of the interview process, preparation guidelines, and what's different or unique about Dropbox's interview process as opposed to other tech companies.
THE dropbox INTERVIEW explained
BACKGROUND
In the Dropbox interview you will face around 5-6 interviews testing you on: coding challenges, system design, and project deep dives.
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
update your RESUME
Make sure you’ve updated your resume and in particular your LinkedIn profile; use deliverables and metrics when you can as they are concrete examples of what you’ve accomplished. Make sure to be as specific as possible.
PREPARATION
Here is our guide on how to prepare for the coding interview with a 12-week plan.
CHOOSING YOUR LANGUAGE
Dropbox does not require that you know any specific programming language before interviewing for a tech position. However, you should be familiar with the syntax of your preferred language such as Java, Python, C#, C/C++. You should also know some of the languages’ nuances, such as how memory management works, or the most commonly used collections, libraries, etc. Choose one you’re most comfortable with and stick to it.
Prescreen with recruiter
After reviewing your resume, you’ll be paired with a recruiter who will be your guide through the interview process at Dropbox. This will be a 30 minute conversation.
online coding challenge
The online challenge will most likely be administered through HackerRank. It's best to study up on your file related questions as you're likely to receive a few of them throughout your interview loop.
ON-site interview
Coding Rounds (2 rounds):
Here you will answer questions related to data structures and algorithms. Be prepared to go over file related questions as that is a big topic for Dropbox.
System Design:
In this interview you will spend roughly 45 minutes designing a system based on certain requirements. There is generally no coding involved in this interview, it's more of an open-ended discussion on how you would be a scalable system.
Project Deep Dive:
In this section, the interviewers will want to get a sense of your accomplishments and how you work. Be prepared to come up with stories of how your work has impacted the business and how you work in a team setting.
Behavioral
This is purely a behavioral interview where they'll want to get a sense of past work, tools you're familiar with, and your overall impact on previous companies you worked for.
THE OFFER / NO offer
From on-site to offer will take about another week or two. This is so management can either evaluate other candidates or to draft up your offer letter along with other logistics.
In the event that you don’t receive an offer, you’ll most likely have to wait six months to a year to re-apply. Don’t expect any feedback after your interview, but you can conclude that you either didn’t have enough experience or that it just wasn’t a fit culturally.
If you do receive a job offer, the hiring manager will call you to discuss salary, start date, etc.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT
Coding Challenge focus
Many of the questions you will face will be geared towards files, so plan your practice accordingly. It will save you a lot of time and greatly increase your chances of landing a job at Dropbox.
Need help preparing for the interview?
Check out the Definitive Interview Prep Roadmap,
written and reviewed by real hiring managers.