I started preparing for Meta’s campus recruitment interviews while I was pursuing my Master’s in Computer Science in North America. The entire process had three main parts: an initial HR screen, a technical phone interview, and a final round with several back-to-back interviews. I got referred by an alumnus, and the first two rounds were done in about two weeks.
The HR round was pretty straightforward. It was more like an intro chat where the recruiter explained the role, asked about my career goals, whether the position matched what I was looking for, and a bit about my background. I felt this part was mainly for them to see if I had genuine interest in Meta and understood the role well. To prepare, I practiced my self-introduction a few times, focusing on clearly explaining my project experience and how my working style fit Meta’s culture. For example, I mentioned my time working on a fast-paced startup project, and how I enjoy independent thinking and quick trial-and-error approaches.
The technical phone interview was conducted on CoderPad and lasted 45 minutes. I was given one array problem and one tree problem, both around medium to slightly hard LeetCode level. I noticed that Meta really values how you think, so I explained my thought process out loud as I worked through each problem. When I made a mistake, I walked through what went wrong and corrected it clearly. I also tested edge cases like empty inputs and duplicates once I finished coding. This round went well thanks to consistent practice—especially drilling through Meta’s frequently asked problems.
The final onsite included four interviews: two algorithm rounds, one system design, and one behavioral interview. For the system design, I was asked to design a simplified social app. I talked about the user system, feed generation, database schema, and caching strategies. Even though I hadn’t worked on large-scale systems during internships, I had watched a lot of mock interviews and learned how to organize my explanation. The behavioral round felt more like a conversation. I was asked how I handle conflicts, work with teammates, and deal with project challenges. I shared a story where my team was falling behind on a project and how I helped speed things up by adjusting our workflow.
Overall, Meta’s interview process is fast-paced and to the point. The questions aren’t meant to trip you up, but they do want to see if you’re the type who’s hands-on, quick-thinking, and communicative. For international students, being able to express yourself clearly in English is super important. Don’t stress about being perfect—just explain your thinking naturally and with confidence. Practicing mock interviews, whether with friends or on platforms, really helped me improve.
Release time:2025-05-07
