FAANG interview process

What does FAANG stand for? This acronym has come to be used as shorthand for five of the biggest brands in tech: Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google. The companies attract thousands of hopefuls every year, keen to land a much-coveted job in a company that could propel their career.

But what is a FAANG interview, and what are some common FAANG interview questions? These big tech companies have some of the most stringent candidate vetting processes. That's why, below, you'll find a guide to the FAANG interview process.

Why Get a FAANG Job?

These five companies are prime examples of how large and successful leading tech companies can become. For some people, listing one of these companies on their CV is enough of a reason to get a FAANG job. However, there are other perks.

FAANG companies typically have some of the best employee benefits, including health and medical, transport, training budgets, support for relocation, and more. These benefits typically outdo those of more "traditional" companies.

Of course, with such a powerful reputation and incredible employee benefits, competition is fierce. This isn't an interview you're going to be able to breeze through without preparation.

How to Prepare for the FAANG Interview Process

You're going to need to know how to prepare for FAANG interviews. Fortunately, many have been through the FAANG hiring process, so we know a great detail about what you're likely to face.

It goes without saying that, at heart, these are still interviews, regardless of their level of complexity. You should do all of your usual preparation, including reading up on each company, undergoing mock interviews, and anything else you'd normally do to prepare.

Before diving into the detail, here's a quick summary of what to expect at each stage. There's more detail on each company's specific tech interview process further down.

1. As with any role, you'll apply for a FAANG job on the relevant company's website. In some cases, you can be referred for a role by other employees or approached directly, if you're lucky enough.

2. The FAANG interview process sometimes - though not always - kicks off with an HR (human resources) interview. During this round, expect to be asked about your career, education and qualifications, and some behavioural questions to determine your suitability.

3. Following the HR interview, assuming you're successful, you'll have a phone interview scheduled. Lasting for usually around 40 to 45 minutes, your questions will be heavily focused on your role and may be fairly technical.

4. The final stage of your FAANG interview actually will often comprise multiple rounds of interviews. When this format is used, each session centres around a specific topic, such as common coding problems, systems architecture design, and more behavioural questions.

To prepare for the technical questions that you'll face, we recommend on reading up in two key areas: data structure and algorithms, and system design. You'll also be tested on your coding skills, of course, though this is an area in which you'll have to draw on your experience to date.

Data Structures and Algorithms

For these interviews, you need to be prepared to answer questions on relevant concepts that include arrays, stacks, dictionaries, and linked lists, among others. Your solutions should be efficient and error-free for the best chance of success; failing to finish the task in the allotted time can harm your chances of success.

System Design

Systems design is essential for any engineer, though particularly for those with the intent of landing a backend developer role. This area of expertise is even more critical for senior engineer roles, and you should come prepared to system design interviews with examples of how you've handled the task in previous roles. Don't back yourself into a corner with your design when challenged; leave room for future development of the system and explain how you came to your design.

System design interview questions often necessitate drawing onto a whiteboard to illustrate your approach. So, be sure to practise mapping out processes and systems as part of your preparations.

Coding Ability

Unfortunately, there's no quick fix or reading that you can do to ace this section, as it'll come down to your past experience and your ability to write code. However, you should have a strong ability and general knowledge in the area in which you specialise. It also pays to stay up-to-date on the most common programming languages, as you may be asked about them in coding interviews.

For example, Google has heavily used Python since its origins, in addition to C++ and Java. The Netflix platform also uses Python. Facebook uses a combination of multiple languages, including C++ and Python, but also Hack, PHP and others. Amazon uses Java, C++ and Perl, while Apple is increasingly adopting Swift. While having an in-depth knowledge of each is no small feat, it could help set you apart in your coding interview.

FAANG Interview Process for Each Company

While we covered the general interview process above, each company uses a slightly different format to vet their candidates.

What's the FAANG Interview Process for Facebook?

Facebook's interview process is quite heavy on technical expertise. However, their technical challenge is assigned as 'homework.' Here's the process in a nutshell:

1. The company reviews your CV and decides whether to invite you for interview.

2. Technical phone screening interview.

3. A coding test, which is often assigned to be completed at home. While brief, these assignments require you to explain your solution.

4. There is a final stage where you'll be given an onsite interview date, in which you'll likely face multiple sessions, each tailored to different technical or behavioural qualities.

What's the FAANG Interview Process for Apple?

Much like the software itself, Apple's interview process is less well-known than the other FAANG companies. It's also lengthier:

1. The company reviews your CV and decides whether to invite you for interview.

2. The next stage involves a technical phone interview, or possibly two. The first and most common round focuses on your work history, though a second call may involve technical questions from an engineer.

3. Remote interviews are conducted via FaceTime, and you'll likely face multiple short interviews with a senior member of Apple's management team. These interviews are likely to involve technical coding questions.

4. Apple's hiring process concludes with on-site interviews. With multiple sessions scheduled, you can expect the process to take up to a full day, with hiring managers, software engineers, and senior management making up the hiring committee.

What's the FAANG Interview Process for Amazon?

While Amazon's FAANG interview process is similar to those above, some candidates have reported varying levels of difficulty in the questions they've been asked. They're also heavily geared towards Amazon's Leadership Principles framework, so be sure to read up on those:

1. The company reviews your CV and decides whether to invite you for interview. You may also be asked to solve online coding challenges prior to interview.

2. One or two phone interviews come next, one of which will be with a recruiter. If you're booked in for a second, expect it to be with an Amazon engineer. You may also be asked to solve coding challenges in real-time at this stage.

3. Amazon also favours multiple, short interview sessions, and there may be other candidates present. In addition to being tested on your technical knowledge, expect to be tested on those Leadership Principles too.

What's the FAANG Interview Process for Netflix?

1. Netflix's hiring process typically starts out with a discussion with a recruiter. You'll be asked more general questions about your motivation to work for Netflix and Netflix's culture, as well as information about your experience and background.

2. The second stage involves a phone screen interview, but the focus will be on more technical subjects. In these technical interviews, you could be asked about programming languages and technical tasks.

3. The next, two-stage part of the interview process involves multiple rounds of short, remote or onsite interviews. These focus on technical concepts, and you may have to complete coding or whiteboard challenges.

4. The second part involves interviews with HR, hiring managers, and the manager of the software engineer team, and may include speaking to other software engineers.

What's the FAANG Interview Process for Google?

In the past, Google was said to use brainteasers to test candidates, but they've since swapped them out in favour of "work sample tests" and more traditional interview questions. Their hiring process now comprises the following:

1. The company reviews your CV and decides whether to invite you for an interview.

2. You may be asked to complete coding challenges prior to the interview.

3. In the phone interview, of which there may be multiple, you'll speak to the hiring manager and potentially other members of the team.

4. If you're invited to Google's "in-depth interviews," you can expect to attend 3-4 remote or on-site interviews. These are designed to test your technical knowledge, suitability and "cultural fit."