Ancestry Software Engineer Interview Questions + Guide in 2025

Ancestry is a human-centered company dedicated to helping individuals discover their personal stories through family history and genealogy.

As a Software Engineer at Ancestry, you will play a crucial role in developing and maintaining innovative web applications and backend services that support users on their journeys of personal discovery. You will be tasked with solving complex technical challenges using modern technologies, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams, and contributing to the architecture of scalable and efficient solutions. This role requires a basic understanding of full-stack development, with a focus on JavaScript, Typescript, HTML, CSS, and frameworks such as Node.js or React. Strong problem-solving skills, a collaborative mindset, and a passion for learning new technologies will distinguish you as an ideal candidate.

The guide presented here will equip you with tailored insights and strategies to excel in your interview, helping you effectively showcase your skills and fit for the role at Ancestry.

The interview process for a Software Engineer position at Ancestry is structured to assess both technical skills and cultural fit within the team. It typically unfolds in several stages, allowing candidates to showcase their abilities and learn more about the company.

1. Initial Screening

The process begins with an initial phone screening, usually conducted by a recruiter. This conversation focuses on your background, technical skills, and interest in the role. Expect questions about your experience with relevant technologies, such as JavaScript, React, and any backend frameworks you may have used. This is also an opportunity for you to ask about the company culture and the specifics of the role.

2. Technical Assessment

Following the initial screening, candidates are often required to complete a technical assessment. This may involve a coding challenge or a take-home project where you can choose your technology stack. The project is designed to evaluate your problem-solving skills and coding proficiency. After submission, you may discuss your design decisions and approach with the team during a follow-up interview.

3. Technical Interviews

Candidates who pass the technical assessment typically move on to one or more technical interviews. These interviews may be conducted via video call or in-person and often involve multiple interviewers, including team members and managers. Expect a mix of coding questions, algorithm challenges, and discussions about your previous projects. You may also be asked to solve problems on a whiteboard or through a collaborative coding platform.

4. Behavioral Interviews

In addition to technical skills, Ancestry places a strong emphasis on cultural fit. Behavioral interviews are designed to assess your teamwork, communication skills, and alignment with the company's values. Questions may revolve around your experiences working in teams, handling conflicts, and your approach to learning new technologies. Be prepared to share specific examples from your past experiences.

5. Final Interview

The final stage often includes a wrap-up interview with senior management or team leads. This is a more casual conversation where you can discuss your long-term career goals, your interest in Ancestry, and how you envision contributing to the team. This stage is also an opportunity for you to ask any remaining questions about the company and the role.

As you prepare for your interviews, consider the types of questions that may arise in each of these stages, particularly those that focus on your technical expertise and collaborative experiences.

Here are some tips to help you excel in your interview.

Understand the Interview Process

The interview process at Ancestry can be lengthy and may involve multiple rounds, including phone screenings, technical assessments, and in-person interviews. Be prepared for a mix of behavioral and technical questions, and expect to discuss your past experiences and projects in detail. Familiarize yourself with the structure of the interviews, as candidates have reported varying experiences, from one-on-one discussions to panel interviews. Knowing what to expect can help you stay calm and focused.

Showcase Your Technical Skills

As a Software Engineer, you will likely face technical questions that assess your knowledge of programming languages such as JavaScript, Java, and frameworks like React or Node.js. Be ready to solve coding problems on the spot, as well as discuss your design decisions in previous projects. Practice common data structure and algorithm questions, as well as any specific technologies mentioned in the job description. Candidates have noted that demonstrating your thought process during coding challenges is crucial, so articulate your reasoning clearly.

Prepare for Behavioral Questions

Ancestry values collaboration and communication, so expect behavioral questions that assess your teamwork and problem-solving abilities. Reflect on past experiences where you worked in a team, faced challenges, or had to adapt to new situations. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your responses, ensuring you convey your contributions and the impact of your actions.

Engage with Your Interviewers

Candidates have reported that the interviewers at Ancestry are generally friendly and open to questions. Use this to your advantage by engaging with them throughout the interview. Ask insightful questions about the team dynamics, company culture, and the specific projects you might be working on. This not only shows your interest in the role but also helps you gauge if Ancestry is the right fit for you.

Be Ready for a Take-Home Project

Some candidates have mentioned completing a take-home project as part of the interview process. If this is part of your experience, ensure you allocate enough time to complete it thoroughly. Choose a tech stack you are comfortable with, and be prepared to discuss your design choices and the challenges you faced during the project in subsequent interviews.

Stay Positive and Professional

While some candidates have shared negative experiences regarding the organization of the interview process, it’s essential to maintain a positive and professional demeanor throughout. If you encounter any delays or lack of communication, focus on showcasing your skills and enthusiasm for the role rather than dwelling on the process itself.

Reflect Ancestry's Values

Ancestry emphasizes a human-centered approach and values diversity and inclusion. During your interview, reflect these values in your responses. Share experiences that demonstrate your commitment to collaboration, learning, and contributing to a diverse work environment. This alignment with the company’s culture can set you apart from other candidates.

By following these tips and preparing thoroughly, you can approach your interview at Ancestry with confidence and clarity. Good luck!

In this section, we’ll review the various interview questions that might be asked during a Software Engineer interview at Ancestry. The interview process will likely focus on your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and your experience with relevant technologies. Be prepared to discuss your past projects, coding practices, and how you approach challenges in a collaborative environment.

Technical Skills

1. What is your favorite library in Java, and why do you prefer it?

This question aims to assess your familiarity with Java libraries and your ability to articulate your preferences based on functionality and performance.

How to Answer

Discuss a specific library you have used extensively, highlighting its features and how it has benefited your projects.

Example

"I particularly enjoy using the Spring framework because of its comprehensive ecosystem for building enterprise applications. Its dependency injection feature simplifies the management of application components, making it easier to develop and test my code."

2. Can you explain the concept of RESTful services and how you have implemented them?

Understanding RESTful services is crucial for backend development, and this question tests your knowledge of web services.

How to Answer

Provide a brief overview of REST principles and share an example of a project where you implemented RESTful services, focusing on the design and functionality.

Example

"RESTful services are based on stateless communication and use standard HTTP methods. In my last project, I designed a REST API for a user management system, allowing clients to create, read, update, and delete user data efficiently using JSON."

3. Describe a challenging technical problem you faced and how you solved it.

This question evaluates your problem-solving skills and your ability to handle complex situations.

How to Answer

Choose a specific example that demonstrates your analytical thinking and technical skills. Explain the problem, your approach, and the outcome.

Example

"While working on a data processing application, I encountered performance issues due to inefficient database queries. I analyzed the queries, identified bottlenecks, and optimized them by adding appropriate indexes, which improved the response time by over 50%."

4. How do you ensure code quality and maintainability in your projects?

This question assesses your understanding of best practices in software development.

How to Answer

Discuss your approach to writing clean code, conducting code reviews, and using testing frameworks.

Example

"I follow SOLID principles to ensure my code is modular and maintainable. Additionally, I regularly participate in code reviews with my peers and use unit testing frameworks like JUnit to validate my code's functionality."

5. What experience do you have with Agile methodologies?

Agile practices are common in software development, and this question gauges your familiarity with them.

How to Answer

Share your experience working in Agile teams, including your role and contributions to the process.

Example

"I have worked in Agile teams for the past three years, participating in daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives. This experience has taught me the importance of collaboration and adaptability in delivering high-quality software."

Problem-Solving and Algorithms

1. Can you solve a problem involving data structures, such as finding the longest substring without repeating characters?

This question tests your algorithmic thinking and understanding of data structures.

How to Answer

Walk through your thought process as you approach the problem, explaining the data structures you would use.

Example

"I would use a hash map to track the characters and their indices. As I iterate through the string, I would update the starting index of the substring whenever I encounter a repeating character, ensuring I always have the longest substring without duplicates."

2. Explain the difference between synchronous and asynchronous programming.

Understanding these concepts is essential for modern web development.

How to Answer

Define both terms and provide examples of when you would use each.

Example

"Synchronous programming executes tasks sequentially, blocking the execution until the current task is complete. In contrast, asynchronous programming allows tasks to run concurrently, improving performance. I often use asynchronous calls in web applications to fetch data without freezing the user interface."

3. How do you approach debugging a complex issue in your code?

This question evaluates your debugging skills and methodology.

How to Answer

Describe your systematic approach to identifying and resolving bugs.

Example

"When debugging, I first try to reproduce the issue consistently. Then, I use logging to gather information about the application's state at various points. Once I have enough data, I analyze it to pinpoint the root cause and implement a fix."

4. What is your experience with version control systems, particularly Git?

Version control is crucial for collaborative development, and this question assesses your familiarity with it.

How to Answer

Discuss your experience using Git, including branching strategies and collaboration with team members.

Example

"I have been using Git for over five years, primarily following a feature-branch workflow. I regularly create branches for new features, conduct code reviews through pull requests, and resolve merge conflicts collaboratively with my team."

5. Can you explain the concept of caching and its benefits?

Caching is a common optimization technique, and this question tests your understanding of it.

How to Answer

Define caching and discuss its advantages in improving application performance.

Example

"Caching stores frequently accessed data in memory to reduce retrieval times. For instance, I implemented caching in a web application to store user session data, which significantly decreased the load on the database and improved response times for users."