Niantic interview process & Timeline |InterviewkickstartIf you’re here, you’re probably fascinated by the AR world and want to join one of the leading companies in the industry. The Niantic interview process helps the company root out engineers with a solid technical background and self-starter mentality.
The company’s ideal candidate is someone who likes to explore, learn from their failures, and quickly grasp new things. If this excites you, you need to start prepping for the Niantic interview process and the questions you can expect.
If you are preparing for a tech interview, check out our technical interview checklist, interview questions page, and salary negotiation e-book to get interview-ready! Also, read Here's What's Missing From Your Software Engineer Resume and How to Communicate Effectively as a Software Engineer for insights and guidance on tech interviews.
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To help you decode the Niantic interview process for software engineers, in this article, we’ll be covering:
- A Quick Overview of Niantic
- Niantic Interview Process
- Eligibility Criteria for Software Engineer Interview at Niantic
- What Does a Software Engineer at Niantic Do?
- FAQs on Niantic Interview Process
An Overview of Niantic
Niantic is among the world’s leading AR technology companies. The company’s products instill excitement in the users and encourage them to explore the great outdoors, exercise, and engage in meaningful social interactions.
Originally formed at Google in 2011, it became an independent company in 2015. It’s backed by a strong group of investors such as Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Alsop Louie Partners. The company’s consumer titles include the global-control game Ingress, the widely popular AR game Pokemon GO, and Pikmin Bloom.
In November 2021, Niantic came out with its developer platform ‘Lightship,’ which lets creators build their own immersive experiences worldwide.
Niantic Interview Process
The Niantic interview process for a software engineer has the following stages:
- Initial phone screen
- Technical coding interview and phone screen (to test OS knowledge)
- On-site technical interview
- Cultural fit interview
1. Initial Phone Screen
In this round, the recruiter will ask you general questions to determine where you are in your career. They will also go over your resume and ask you some Niantic interview questions to see whether your application can be taken forward or not.
2. Technical Coding Interview and Phone Screen
Your coding skills will be assessed at this stage in the Niantic interview process. This interview will last around 45-minutes, and you’ll be asked to solve technical problems or provide the required answers. It might also include a multi-part coding exercise, so you should prepare accordingly.
3. On-Site Technical Interview
The on-site part of the Niantic interview process consists of two technical interviews. These will test your coding skills and might be followed by a half-an-hour of meet and greet with the staff. Let’s take a look at some Niantic interview questions you can expect.
Niantic Interview Questions
- If you’re given a matrix, how will you generate a path from one point to another?
- How will you convert a value from one primitive type to another?
- Add minimum parentheses to the front or back of the string to ensure that the entire thing is nested.
- What is the probability that a player will be able to get to a certain in-game goal after N tries knowing the probability of one attempt? Note that the statistical variable is independent so that cumulative probabilities can be used.
- Design an algorithm that’ll help you connect friends with friends-of-friends if you’re given a social network (such as LinkedIn).
- Design a turn-based game.
- How will you design a system to help users buy tickets for a popular event?
- Create a function to match items in games like Candy Crush.
- Find the duplicate number from an array.
- If you’re given an image, how will you implement edge detection?
4. Cultural Fit Interview
Before giving you the job, the company wants to ensure that you’re a fit for not just the job but also the company. We’ve listed some Niantic interview questions you can expect in this round.
Niantic Interview Questions
- Why do you want to work at Niantic?
- What games do you play?
- Walk me through the most challenging work experience in your career so far.
- Describe yourself using just three words.
- Tell me something about your last job. Other than money, what would have inspired you to keep working there?
So as you start working on your preparation strategy, include the Niantic interview questions listed in the last two sections.
Eligibility Criteria for Software Engineer Interview at Niantic
To qualify for the Niantic interview process, you’ll need to have the following qualifications:
- BS, MS, or Ph.D. in Computer Science, or a related technical field.
- At least two years of experience in developing dependable and scalable platforms. Senior-level candidates are required to have 5+ years of experience.
- Expertise in one of the following languages: Java, Go, or C++ with working knowledge of Python and SQL.
- Experience creating networked and distributed systems.
- Experience developing concurrent and multi-threaded services.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience deploying hosting providers such as Google Cloud, Azure, or AWS.
- Experience creating ETL pipelines or developing data-related ingestion APIs.
- Knowledge of one or more open-source projects such as Redis, Prometheus, Grafana, ElasticSearch, and Envoy.
- Knowledge of Kubernetes, infrastructure as code (such as Terraform).
- Know how to mentor junior engineers or lead projects.
What Does a Software Engineer at Niantic Do?
After clearing the Niantic interview process for a software engineer, your responsibilities at the company will include:
- Create and craft dependable, high-throughput, and scalable server and networking systems that’ll support Niantic’s developers and products.
- Build the main components of the platform that developers can include in their games to elevate the user experience.
- Carry out load testing, take part in code reviews, write unit tests, and troubleshoot to ensure uptime for live systems.
- Work with product managers, other specialists, and other departments to ensure that the code meets internal standards.
So when applying for the software engineer position, ensure that you have the necessary qualifications and knowledge to get selected for the Niantic interview process and perform well at the job.
All the best!
FAQS on Niantic Interview Process
Q1. How long does the Niantic interview process take?
The Niantic interview process might take anywhere between 3 weeks to a couple of months. It depends on the recruiter and the demand.
Q2. What is the average salary of a Niantic software engineer?
On average, a software engineer at Niantic makes $81,000 with a cash bonus of $3,000 per year.
Q3. What does a Niantic data scientist interview process look like?
The four steps in the Niantic data scientist interview process are — phone screen, technical coding interview, on-site technical interviews, and cultural fit interview.
Q4. What Niantic interview questions can you expect in the behavioral round?
Some Niantic interview questions you can expect are: Why do you want this job? If you could do one thing in your life again, what would it be? How do you resolve issues with team members?
Q5. What degree do you need to clear the Niantic interview process for a software engineer?
The Niantic interview process requires its software engineers to have a BS, MS, or Ph.D. in Computer Science or a related technical field. The degree varies depending upon the position you’re applying for.
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