CBRE is a global leader in real estate services, committed to delivering high-quality solutions that enhance organizational productivity and performance.

As a Software Engineer at CBRE, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing, and maintaining complex software systems that are crucial to the company's operations. Your responsibilities will include writing and testing high-quality code, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and contributing to the overall software development lifecycle. Key skills required for this role include proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Python, or Golang, a strong understanding of databases and data structures, and experience with web development frameworks like Angular or React. Additionally, familiarity with DevOps practices and cloud technologies will be beneficial in this dynamic environment.

Success in this role demands not only technical expertise but also strong problem-solving abilities, effective communication skills, and a proactive attitude towards learning new technologies. CBRE values integrity, service, and excellence, and candidates who embody these principles will thrive in their culture.

This guide will help you prepare effectively for your interview by providing insights into the role and the skills and experiences that CBRE values in its Software Engineers.

The interview process for a Software Engineer at CBRE is structured to assess both technical skills and cultural fit within the organization. It typically consists of several rounds, each designed to evaluate different aspects of a candidate's qualifications and compatibility with the team.

1. Application and Initial Screening

Candidates begin by submitting their applications online, ensuring their resumes are optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Following this, a recruiter conducts an initial phone screening, which usually lasts around 30 to 45 minutes. During this call, the recruiter discusses the candidate's background, experiences, and motivations for applying to CBRE. This is also an opportunity for candidates to ask questions about the company culture and the role.

2. Technical Assessment

The next step often involves a technical assessment, which may be conducted as a take-home coding challenge or a live coding session. Candidates are typically given a coding problem that tests their proficiency in relevant programming languages and frameworks, such as Java, Python, or Golang. This challenge is designed to evaluate problem-solving skills, coding style, and the ability to write efficient, maintainable code. Candidates should be prepared to spend several hours on this task, as it can be quite intensive.

3. Technical Interviews

Following the technical assessment, candidates usually participate in one or more technical interviews. These interviews are conducted by senior engineers or technical leads and focus on assessing the candidate's understanding of software development principles, algorithms, data structures, and system design. Candidates may be asked to solve coding problems on a whiteboard or through a shared coding platform. Additionally, discussions may cover past projects, technical challenges faced, and the candidate's approach to problem-solving.

4. Behavioral Interviews

In parallel with technical assessments, candidates will also undergo behavioral interviews. These interviews aim to gauge cultural fit and interpersonal skills. Interviewers may ask about past experiences, teamwork, conflict resolution, and how candidates align with CBRE's values. It’s important for candidates to provide specific examples that demonstrate their ability to collaborate effectively and contribute positively to a team environment.

5. Final Interviews

The final stage of the interview process may include interviews with team members or management. These discussions often focus on the candidate's long-term career goals, their interest in the specific team or project, and how they can contribute to CBRE's objectives. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their technical expertise in more depth and how they envision their role within the company.

6. Offer and Negotiation

If successful, candidates will receive a verbal offer followed by a formal written offer. This stage may involve negotiations regarding salary, benefits, and other employment terms. Candidates should be ready to discuss their expectations and any questions they may have about the offer.

As you prepare for your interview, consider the types of questions that may arise during each of these stages.

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

Understand the Interview Process

CBRE's interview process typically involves multiple rounds, including behavioral, technical, and coding assessments. Familiarize yourself with the structure and prepare accordingly. Expect a take-home coding challenge that may require significant time investment, so plan to allocate 3-5 hours to complete it. Be ready to discuss your approach and thought process during subsequent interviews.

Prepare for Technical Questions

As a Software Engineer, you will likely face questions related to data structures, algorithms, and specific programming languages such as Java, Python, or Golang. Brush up on your knowledge of SQL, REST APIs, and frameworks like Angular or React. Practice coding problems that focus on arrays, strings, and lists, as well as database-related queries. Be prepared to explain your solutions clearly and concisely.

Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

During the interview, you may be asked to solve complex problems or provide examples of how you've tackled challenges in previous roles. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your responses. Highlight your analytical skills and how you approach problem-solving, especially in high-pressure situations.

Emphasize Collaboration and Teamwork

CBRE values collaboration and teamwork, so be prepared to discuss your experiences working in teams. Share examples of how you've contributed to group projects, resolved conflicts, or supported colleagues. Demonstrating your ability to work well with others will align with the company's culture and values.

Be Ready for Behavioral Questions

Expect behavioral questions that assess your fit within CBRE's culture. Prepare to discuss your experiences related to integrity, service, and excellence. Reflect on times when you've demonstrated these values in your work. Additionally, be ready to discuss your adaptability and how you've handled feedback or criticism in the past.

Ask Insightful Questions

At the end of the interview, you will likely have the opportunity to ask questions. Use this time to demonstrate your interest in the role and the company. Inquire about the team dynamics, ongoing projects, or the technologies being used. This not only shows your enthusiasm but also helps you gauge if CBRE is the right fit for you.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

Throughout the interview process, maintain a positive and professional demeanor. Some candidates have reported uncomfortable experiences with interviewers, so focus on presenting yourself as a confident and adaptable candidate. If faced with negativity, try to steer the conversation back to your qualifications and enthusiasm for the role.

Follow Up

After your interview, consider sending a thank-you email to express your appreciation for the opportunity to interview. This is a chance to reiterate your interest in the position and reflect on any key points discussed during the interview. A thoughtful follow-up can leave a lasting impression.

By preparing thoroughly and approaching the interview with confidence and positivity, you can increase your chances of success in securing a Software Engineer position at CBRE. Good luck!

In this section, we’ll review the various interview questions that might be asked during a Software Engineer interview at CBRE. The interview process will likely assess your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and your capacity to work collaboratively within a team. Be prepared to discuss your past experiences, technical knowledge, and how you approach challenges in software development.

Technical Skills

1. Can you explain the difference between an abstract class and an interface?

Understanding the distinction between these two concepts is crucial in object-oriented programming.

How to Answer

Discuss the key differences, such as that an abstract class can have both abstract and concrete methods, while an interface can only have abstract methods (prior to Java 8). Mention the use cases for each.

Example

“An abstract class can provide some method implementations, while an interface is a contract that must be fully implemented by the classes that inherit from it. For example, I would use an abstract class when I want to share code among closely related classes, while an interface is ideal for defining a common behavior across unrelated classes.”

2. Describe your experience with RESTful APIs.

APIs are essential for modern software development, and understanding REST principles is key.

How to Answer

Talk about your experience designing, implementing, or consuming RESTful APIs, including any specific technologies or frameworks you’ve used.

Example

“I have developed RESTful APIs using Spring Boot, where I designed endpoints for CRUD operations. I ensured that the APIs followed REST principles, such as statelessness and proper use of HTTP methods. This experience helped me understand how to structure APIs for scalability and maintainability.”

3. What is your approach to debugging a complex issue in production?

Debugging is a critical skill for a software engineer, especially in a production environment.

How to Answer

Outline your systematic approach to identifying and resolving issues, including tools and techniques you use.

Example

“When faced with a complex issue in production, I first gather as much information as possible, including logs and user reports. I then reproduce the issue in a staging environment if possible. I use debugging tools to trace the problem and isolate the root cause, ensuring to document my findings for future reference.”

4. How do you ensure the quality of your code?

Quality assurance is vital in software development, and interviewers want to know your practices.

How to Answer

Discuss your practices for writing clean, maintainable code, including testing and code reviews.

Example

“I follow best practices such as writing unit tests and conducting code reviews with my peers. I also use static code analysis tools to catch potential issues early. This approach not only improves code quality but also fosters collaboration within the team.”

5. Can you explain the concept of microservices and their advantages?

Microservices architecture is increasingly popular, and understanding it is essential for modern software development.

How to Answer

Define microservices and discuss their benefits, such as scalability and independent deployment.

Example

“Microservices are an architectural style that structures an application as a collection of loosely coupled services. This approach allows for independent deployment, scaling, and technology diversity. For instance, I worked on a project where we migrated a monolithic application to microservices, which significantly improved our deployment speed and system resilience.”

Behavioral Questions

1. Tell us about a time you had to collaborate with a difficult team member.

Collaboration is key in software development, and your ability to work with others is crucial.

How to Answer

Share a specific example, focusing on how you handled the situation and what you learned.

Example

“In a previous project, I worked with a team member who was resistant to feedback. I scheduled a one-on-one meeting to understand their perspective and shared my concerns constructively. This open dialogue helped us find common ground and improved our collaboration moving forward.”

2. Describe a challenging project you worked on and how you overcame obstacles.

This question assesses your problem-solving skills and resilience.

How to Answer

Choose a project that had significant challenges, and explain how you addressed them.

Example

“I worked on a project with tight deadlines and shifting requirements. To manage this, I prioritized tasks and communicated regularly with stakeholders to set realistic expectations. By breaking the project into smaller milestones, we were able to deliver a successful product on time.”

3. How do you handle tight deadlines?

Time management is crucial in software engineering, especially in fast-paced environments.

How to Answer

Discuss your strategies for prioritizing tasks and managing your time effectively.

Example

“When faced with tight deadlines, I assess the project requirements and prioritize tasks based on their impact. I also communicate with my team to delegate responsibilities effectively. This approach helps ensure that we meet deadlines without compromising quality.”

4. Can you give an example of how you’ve contributed to a team’s success?

This question evaluates your teamwork and leadership skills.

How to Answer

Share a specific instance where your contributions made a significant impact.

Example

“I led a team in developing a new feature that improved user engagement. I organized brainstorming sessions to gather ideas and facilitated regular check-ins to keep everyone aligned. Our collaborative effort resulted in a feature that exceeded our initial goals and received positive feedback from users.”

5. What motivates you as a software engineer?

Understanding your motivation helps interviewers gauge your fit within the company culture.

How to Answer

Share what drives you in your work, whether it’s problem-solving, learning new technologies, or contributing to impactful projects.

Example

“I’m motivated by the challenge of solving complex problems and the opportunity to learn new technologies. I find it rewarding to see how my work can positively impact users and contribute to the success of the team and the organization.”

• What considerations should be made when testing hundreds of hypotheses with many t-tests? When conducting multiple t-tests, you need to consider the risk of Type I errors due to multiple comparisons. How would you control for this, such as using methods like the Bonferroni correction or False Discovery Rate (FDR)?

• How would you explain what a p-value is to someone who is not technical? Explain the concept of a p-value in simple terms to someone without a technical background.

• How should you handle a right-skewed distribution when predicting real estate home prices? When building a model to predict real estate home prices, you notice the distribution is skewed to the right. Should you take any action, and if so, what should you do?

• Bonus: How should you handle a left-skewed target distribution? If the target distribution is heavily left-skewed, what steps should you take?

• Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department. Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department. If more than one person shares the highest salary, the query should select the next highest salary.

• Develop a function precision_recall to calculate precision and recall metrics from a 2-D matrix. Given a 2-D matrix P of predicted values and actual values, write a function precision_recall to calculate precision and recall metrics. Return the ordered pair (precision, recall).

• Write a SQL query to select the top 3 departments with at least ten employees and rank them by the percentage of employees making over 100K. Given employees and departments tables, select the top 3 departments with at least ten employees and rank them according to the percentage of their employees making over 100K in salary.

• Create a function traverse_count to determine the number of paths in an (n \times n) grid. Given an integer (n), write a function traverse_count to determine the number of paths from the top left corner of an (n \times n) grid to the bottom right. You may only move right or down.

• Develop a function is_subsequence to check if one string is a subsequence of another. Given two strings, string1 and string2, write a function is_subsequence to find out if string1 is a subsequence of string2.

• How does random forest generate the forest and why use it over logistic regression? Random forest generates a forest by creating multiple decision trees using bootstrapped subsets of the data and random subsets of features. It is often preferred over logistic regression for its ability to handle non-linear relationships and interactions between features.

• How do we deal with missing square footage data to construct a housing price model? To build a model predicting housing prices in Seattle with 20% of listings missing square footage data, consider using imputation techniques such as mean/mode/median imputation, regression imputation, or more advanced methods like KNN imputation.

• How would you combat overfitting when building tree-based models? To combat overfitting in tree-based models, use techniques such as pruning, setting a maximum depth, using a minimum number of samples per leaf, or employing ensemble methods like random forests or gradient boosting.

• Will increasing the number of trees in a random forest always increase model accuracy? Increasing the number of trees in a random forest generally improves accuracy up to a point, after which the gains diminish and may plateau. It also increases computational cost, so a balance is needed.

• How would you implement the k-means clustering algorithm in Python from scratch? Implement k-means clustering by initializing centroids, assigning data points to the nearest centroid, updating centroids based on the mean of assigned points, and repeating until convergence. Return the cluster assignments for each data point.

What is the average salary for a Software Engineer at Cbre?

Q: What is the interview process like for a Software Engineer position at CBRE?

The interview process typically involves three to five stages, including a recruiter call, technical interviews, and a take-home coding challenge. Candidates might also interact with hiring managers, engineers, and team members. The technical rounds could cover a range of topics from software lifecycle, databases, frameworks, and coding proficiency in languages like Java, Python, and SQL.

Q: What skills and experiences are required for a Software Engineer at CBRE?

Candidates need strong technical skills, including knowledge of Java, Spring Boot, ReactJS, AngularJS, NodeJS, and data architecture. Experience with cloud technologies (AWS/Azure), microservices, APIs, data profiling, and SQL are essential. Additionally, proficiency in CI/CD pipelines, Agile methodologies, and development tools like Git and Docker is highly valued.

Q: What types of projects will I work on as a Software Engineer at CBRE?

As a Software Engineer at CBRE, you'll work on building cloud-native applications, modernizing legacy systems to scalable microservices architectures, and developing both web and mobile apps. Projects emphasize Agile methodologies and integrate DevOps culture, continuous security, integration, deployment, and monitoring.

Q: What is the company culture like at CBRE?

CBRE values diversity and fosters an inclusive environment where integrity, service excellence, and innovation are crucial. The company encourages collaboration, learning, and growth, offering access to some of the industry's most talented engineers and designers.

Q: How can I prepare for an interview at CBRE?

Prepare by researching CBRE's products and services, reviewing common technical questions, and brushing up on relevant skills and technologies. Practicing with Interview Query can help you simulate interview scenarios and get familiar with the types of questions that might be asked. Additionally, be ready to discuss your past projects, problem-solving approaches, and how your experience aligns with CBRE's requirements.

If you're looking for insights on CBRE's interview process for the Software Engineer position, we've got you covered. The experiences shared by applicants vary widely, with some facing a highly rigorous technical evaluation, while others experienced a disorganized and unprofessional process. The journey through multiple rounds, including behavioral, technical, and coding challenges, highlights the need for thorough preparation.

To ensure you're fully prepared and can navigate all potential interview challenges, check out the CBRE Interview Guide on Interview Query, where we've gathered a collection of interview questions and tips specific to CBRE. For a more targeted preparation, explore our detailed guides for roles such as software engineer and data analyst. At Interview Query, we provide you with the tools, knowledge, and confidence you need to excel in your CBRE interviews.

Dive into our company interview guides to boost your preparation, and feel free to reach out with any questions.

Best of luck with your interview!