HelloFresh Software Engineer Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

HelloFresh is an industry leader in meal-kit subscription services, passionately revolutionizing how we bring food to our customers’ tables by making it convenient and exciting to cook meals from scratch. With a diverse, high-performing, and international team, we deliver delicious meals to millions of people globally, and we are growing continuously to cater to a wide range of dietary needs and preferences.

As a Software Engineer at HelloFresh, you will have the opportunity to significantly impact our production systems and data integrations, developing software applications that enhance operations and improve efficiencies across various platforms. This role demands strong technical skills, excellent problem-solving abilities, and a collaborative spirit to thrive in our fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

This guide will walk you through the comprehensive interview process, shedding light on what Hellofresh software engineer interview questions to expect and providing tips for success. Let’s dive in!

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

Once your application is reviewed and shortlisted, a recruiter from HelloFresh will contact you for an initial phone screen. This call typically lasts about 30-35 minutes and includes behavioral questions as well as questions about your technical background. During this stage, you may also have the opportunity to ask questions about the company and the role.

Stay prepared to discuss your resume and experience briefly and possibly answer some surface-level technical or behavioral questions.

Technical Virtual Interview

Passing the recruiter screening advances you to the technical interview. This stage often involves a coding challenge that might be conducted through platforms like HackerRank. The technical interview may last anywhere from 1-1.5 hours and could include system design questions and coding exercises and assess your problem-solving abilities.

In some scenarios, you might receive a take-home assignment requiring the development of a small app or solving a real-world problem using the tech stack mentioned in the job description (as in Python, SQL, and Angular). Be prepared for both theoretical questions and practical coding tasks during this round.

Cultural Fit Interview and Leadership Interview

If you successfully clear the technical round, the next phase will typically involve multiple interviews focused on cultural fit and discussions with higher management or leadership. You might discuss your opinions on collaboration, managing technical debt, and your adaptability in a team setting. These conversations usually revolve around how well you align with HelloFresh’s values and culture.

The cultural fit interviews are crucial as HelloFresh places significant importance on maintaining an inclusive and collaborative environment.

Onsite Interview Rounds (Where Applicable)

Depending on the role and location, you might be called for onsite interviews, which can be an extended loop involving technical, behavioral, and cultural fit assessments. Typically, these rounds are similar to the virtual interviews but allow more in-depth personal interactions.

If given any take-home assignments, expect to present your solution and rationale during the onsite interview.

Typically, interviews at HelloFresh vary by role and team, but commonly software engineer interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

1. Identify first-time and repeat purchases for each product category.

Analyze a user’s purchases to determine if each purchase is the first time the user has bought a product from its category or a repeat purchase. Output a table with each purchase and a boolean column indicating if the category was previously purchased.

2. Determine if one string can be shifted to become another.

Given two strings A and B, write a function can_shift to check if A can be shifted some number of places to get B.

3. Compute the standard deviation for lists of integers in dictionaries.

Write a function compute_deviation that takes a list of dictionaries with a key and a list of integers and returns a dictionary with the standard deviation of each list without using NumPy.

4. Calculate the percentage of search queries with low ratings.

Write a query to get the percentage of search queries where all ratings for the query results are less than 3. Round the answer to two decimal points.

5. Reconstruct the path of a trip from unordered flight segments.

Given a list of flights with starting and ending cities, write a function plan_trip to reconstruct the trip path in order.

6. What business health metrics would you track for an e-commerce D2C business selling socks?

If you are in charge of an e-commerce D2C business that sells socks, what key business health metrics would you prioritize for tracking on a company dashboard?

7. How would you encode a categorical variable with thousands of distinct values?

You have a categorical variable with thousands of distinct values. Describe the method you would use to encode this variable for use in a machine learning model.

8. How would you combat overfitting when building tree-based models?

You are training a classification model using tree-based methods. Explain the strategies you would employ to prevent overfitting.

9. How would you design an ML system to predict movie scores based on review text?

As an ML engineer at Netflix, you have access to reviews of 10K movies, each containing multiple sentences and a score from 1 to 10. Describe how you would design a machine learning system to predict the movie score based on the review text.

10. What is a confidence interval for a statistic, and why is it useful?

Explain what a confidence interval is, its importance in statistics, and the method to calculate it.

Prepare for a fulfilling yet challenging interview process at HelloFresh by keeping these tips in mind:

• System Design and Coding: Make sure to review system design principles and coding best practices, especially in Python, SQL, and Angular. It’s important to write efficient code and be able to explain your thought process and design choices.You can also try out our AI interviewer to practice for technical coding interviews and get real-time feedback.

• Cultural Fit: Demonstrate your commitment to collaboration, quality, and continuous learning. Discuss your experience working within a team and collaborating across different functions. Consider trying our Mock Interview platform to help you practice with behavioral interviews.

• Do Follow-Ups with Your Application: Given the multi-step process and past feedback, proactively follow up via email. This shows your enthusiasm and can help ensure clarity in the next steps.

Approach your interview with preparation and a positive attitude, embracing each stage as an opportunity to showcase your skills and fit with HelloFresh’s dynamic and mission-driven team.

What’s the average salary for a software engineer at HelloFresh?

What is the work culture like at HelloFresh?

The work culture at HelloFresh is inclusive, collaborative, and dynamic. Employees enjoy a mission-driven environment where creativity and teamwork are encouraged. The company also values continuous learning and improvement, making it an inspiring place to work.

What benefits does HelloFresh offer to its employees?

HelloFresh offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a competitive salary, 401k with company match, generous PTO and parental leave, health and wellness benefits, tuition reimbursement, and significant discounts on meal plans. Employees can also access various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and a supportive work environment.

Despite mixed reviews from the interview experience, the overall consensus is that the interview process is comprehensive, engaging, and a real opportunity to showcase your skills, especially in a collaborative and fast-paced environment.

By preparing thoroughly, demonstrating a passion for technology, and showcasing real-world application of your knowledge, you can distinguish yourself in the interview process and align with a company that values innovation and continuous improvement.

Good luck with your interview!