Hi everyone,
Do startup companies like those on TokyoDev, JapanDev, Justa, Wantedly, etc. for the most part, interview candidates by giving them LeetCode/DS&A style interview questions? How should I expect the interview process to be like?
Thank you!
4 comments
there are leetcode style interviews, some in advance where you’re given a day or more to work on something, some on the spot
there are very otherwise normal interviews that range from just barely touching on computer topics to asking you specific basic knowledge or design questions
there are “how do you design google from scratch” type questions
there are [behavioral style](https://www.themuse.com/advice/30-behavioral-interview-questions-you-should-be-ready-to-answer) interviews, some of which edge into the range of deliberately stressing you out and demanding unfair questions or being downright aggressive just to see how you react (the latter of which i hate and i have walked out of interviews that do this to me, but ymmv)
there are gotcha style logic questions
and there are [how do you move mt fuji style](https://www.amazon.com/How-Would-Move-Mount-Fuji/dp/0316778494) questions
good interviews follow the [guerilla guide to interviewing](https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/10/25/the-guerrilla-guide-to-interviewing-version-30/), imho, but not every place interviews properly
We’re talking about start-ups here… it’s hard to really know. Prepare for anything, be happy you overprepared and accept that as practice for your next interview.
It really depends on the company.
But here are some typical interview styles by company type:
**Large foreign companies** (Google, Indeed, Amazon): US-style full day of DS&A + System Design + a few behavioral questions.
**Japan mega-venture companies** (Mercari, PayPay, LINE): ~1-2hrs of LeetCode/HackerRank/Codility and/or take-home coding assignment + technical discussion + behavioral
**Small Japanese start-ups**: _Usually_ won’t ask live coding questions. Might have take-home assignment/project, but generally more focused on discussing technical topics (projects you’ve worked on in the past etc).
You really need to look into each company separately though, as the processes are constantly changing (and can even be different team-to-team within a company).
Also, 99% of Japanese companies will ask **why you want to work for them**. I recommend researching the company and preparing a good answer to this.
Apply through recruiters and get them to find out for you, it varies a lot from company to company.