LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN) is a global leader in enterprise conversations, connecting hundreds of leading brands like HSBC, Chipotle, and Virgin Media with millions of consumers through our award-winning Conversational Cloud platform. Our technology powers nearly a billion conversational interactions monthly, leveraging rich data and AI to enhance customer experiences.

In the role of a Software Engineer at LivePerson, you will be at the forefront of developing innovative solutions for large-scale conversational AI systems. This position involves creating and maintaining robust systems to efficiently manage and integrate AI models, collaborating across different teams to ensure top-notch performance and integration into our products.

In this guide, we'll introduce you to LivePerson's interview process, the kind of questions you can expect, and provide tips to help you prepare. Let’s get started!

Submitting Your Application

The first step is to submit a compelling application that reflects your technical skills and interest in joining LivePerson as a Software Engineer. Whether you were contacted by a LivePerson recruiter or have taken the initiative yourself, carefully review the job description and tailor your CV according to the prerequisites.

Tailoring your CV may include identifying specific keywords that the hiring manager might use to filter resumes and crafting a targeted cover letter. Furthermore, don’t forget to highlight relevant skills and mention your work experiences.

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV happens to be among the shortlisted few, a recruiter from the LivePerson Talent Acquisition Team will make contact and verify key details like your experiences and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be a part of the screening process.

In some cases, the LivePerson hiring manager stays present during the screening round to answer your queries about the role and the company itself. They may also engage in surface-level technical and behavioral discussions.

The whole recruiter call should take about 20 to 30 minutes.

Technical Virtual Interview

Successfully navigating the recruiter round will present you with an invitation for the technical screening round. Technical screening for the LivePerson Software Engineer role usually is conducted through virtual means, such as video conference and screen sharing. Questions in this 45-60 minute interview may revolve around system design, algorithms, and data structures.

In some instances, take-home assignments related to system design, coding challenges, and small projects in ReactJS/NodeJS might be incorporated. Depending on the specifics of the role, you might encounter:

• Algorithmic challenges involving arrays and strings.
• System design questions like creating a distributed cache or managing tasks without using the system clock.
• UML-based questions to describe changing states in a watch.
• Design a snake game, among other problems.

The overall focus will vary based on the advertised requirements of the job and the expertise needed.

Onsite Interview Rounds

A second recruiter call outlining the details for the onsite interview will follow after the technical screening round. The onsite interview loop at LivePerson consists of multiple rounds, usually held virtually over a four-hour period. These rounds typically focus on the following:

• System Design: Detailed problem-solving on large-scale and high-performance system designs.
• Algorithms and Data Structures: Advanced questions in areas like string manipulation and arrays.
• Behavioral and Cultural Fit: Assessments to evaluate how well you align with LivePerson’s core values and culture.

These interviews will often involve architecture-focused discussions, scenario-based coding tasks, and possibly a small project based on the role you applied for.

Quick Tips For LivePerson Software Engineer Interviews

You should plan to brush up on any technical skills and try as many practice interview questions and mock interviews as possible. A few tips for acing your LivePerson interview include:

• Understand LivePerson’s Core Products: Dive deep into LivePerson’s core offerings like the Conversational Cloud platform. Be prepared to discuss how you would integrate or enhance these products technically.
• Brush Up on System Design: Given the technical depth and scale of LivePerson's platform, thorough preparation in designing scalable and maintainable systems will be key. Practice with system design scenarios.
• Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills: The interview process will test your ability to approach problems methodically. Whether dealing with algorithms, data structures, or system design, ensure your solutions are robust and well-thought-out.

Typically, interviews at LivePerson vary by role and team, but commonly Software Engineer interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

• 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.

• Write a function to merge two sorted lists into one sorted list. Given two sorted lists, write a function to merge them into one sorted list. Bonus: Determine the time complexity.

• Create a function missing_number to find the missing number in an array. You have an array of integers, nums of length n spanning 0 to n with one missing. Write a function missing_number that returns the missing number in the array. Complexity of (O(n)) required.

• 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 function to search for a target value in a rotated sorted array. Suppose an array sorted in ascending order is rotated at some pivot unknown to you beforehand. You are given a target value to search. If the value is in the array, return its index; otherwise, return -1. Bonus: Your algorithm's runtime complexity should be in the order of (O(\log n)).

• Would you suspect anything unusual about the A/B test results with 20 variants? Your manager ran an A/B test with 20 different variants and found one significant result. Would you consider this result suspicious?

• How would you set up an A/B test to optimize button color and position for higher click-through rates? A team wants to A/B test changes in a sign-up funnel, such as changing a button from red to blue and/or moving it from the top to the bottom of the page. How would you design this test?

• What steps would you take if friend requests on Facebook are down 10%? A product manager at Facebook reports a 10% decrease in friend requests. What actions would you take to investigate and address this issue?

• Why might job applications be decreasing despite stable job postings? You observe that the number of job postings per day has remained stable, but the number of applicants has been decreasing. What could be causing this trend?

• What are the drawbacks of the given student test score datasets, and how would you reformat them for better analysis? You have data on student test scores in two different layouts. What are the drawbacks of these formats, and what changes would you make to improve their usefulness for analysis? Additionally, describe common issues in "messy" datasets.

• Is this a fair coin based on 10 flips resulting in 8 tails and 2 heads? You flip a coin 10 times, and it comes up tails 8 times and heads twice. Determine if this is a fair coin based on the results.

• How would you write a function to calculate sample variance for a list of integers? Write a function that outputs the sample variance given a list of integers. Round the result to 2 decimal places.

Example: Input: python test_list = [6, 7, 3, 9, 10, 15] Output: python get_variance(test_list) -> 13.89

• Is there anything suspicious about an A/B test with 20 variants where one is significant? Your manager runs an A/B test with 20 different variants and finds one significant result. Would you find anything suspicious about these results?

• How would you find the median of a list where more than 50% of the elements are the same? Given a list of sorted integers where more than 50% of the list is comprised of the same repeating integer, write a function to return the median value in (O(1)) computational time and space.

Example: Input: python li = [1,2,2] Output: python median(li) -> 2

• What are the drawbacks of the given student test score datasets, and how would you reformat them? Assume you have data on student test scores in two different layouts. Identify the drawbacks of these layouts, suggest formatting changes for better analysis, and describe common problems in "messy" datasets.

Dataset 1 and 2:

• How would you evaluate whether using a decision tree algorithm is the correct model for predicting loan repayment? You are tasked with building a decision tree model to predict if a borrower will pay back a personal loan. How would you evaluate if a decision tree is the right choice for this problem?

• How would you evaluate the performance of a decision tree model before and after deployment? If you decide to use a decision tree model, how would you assess its performance before deployment and monitor it after deployment?

• How does random forest generate the forest, and why use it over logistic regression? Explain how a random forest algorithm generates its forest. Additionally, why might you choose random forest over logistic regression for certain problems?

• When would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm? Compare two machine learning algorithms. In which scenarios would you prefer a bagging algorithm over a boosting algorithm? Provide examples of the tradeoffs between the two.

• How would you justify using a neural network model and explain its predictions to non-technical stakeholders? If asked to build a neural network model to solve a business problem, how would you justify its complexity and explain the predictions to non-technical stakeholders?

• What metrics would you use to track the accuracy and validity of a spam classifier for emails? Assume you have built a V1 of a spam classifier for emails. What metrics would you use to evaluate its accuracy and validity?

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

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

A: The interview process at LivePerson typically involves multiple stages, including a phone screen with a recruiter, technical coding challenges, and a series of technical and system design interviews. Candidates might also have a conversation with a hiring manager and participate in a virtual onsite interview.

Q: What are some common interview questions asked at LivePerson?

A: Common interview questions at LivePerson may include technical problems on algorithms and data structures, system design questions such as designing a distributed cache or a snake game, and behavioral questions like discussing past experiences and challenges faced.

Q: What skills and qualifications do I need to work as a Software Engineer at LivePerson?

A: To be considered for a Software Engineer role at LivePerson, you need strong programming skills in Java or Python, experience with cloud platforms and containerization technologies like GCP, Docker, and Kubernetes, and excellent problem-solving abilities. Familiarity with frameworks like PyTorch, HuggingFace Transformers, and a solid understanding of NLP concepts are preferred.

Q: What is the company culture like at LivePerson?

A: LivePerson fosters an inclusive workplace culture that emphasizes meaningful connection, collaboration, and innovation. The company values diversity and empowers team members to grow, think creatively, and actively seek new ways to achieve success. LivePerson is also recognized as a remote-friendly and innovative workplace.

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

A: To prepare for an interview at LivePerson, it's essential to research the company, understand its product offerings, and review the job description thoroughly. Practice common interview questions using resources from Interview Query, focus on your technical skills, and be prepared to discuss your previous experiences and how they relate to the position you are applying for.

Conclusion

Ready to dive into the cutting-edge world of Conversational AI with LivePerson? Our Software Engineer positions offer a dynamic environment to innovate, collaborate, and drive meaningful connections with millions globally. While our interview process may be rigorous and detailed, our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture ensures you’ll be both challenged and supported.

If you want more insights about the company, check out our main LivePerson Interview Guide, where we have covered numerous interview questions that could be asked. We’ve also created interview guides for other roles, such as software engineer and data analyst, where you can learn more about LivePerson’s interview process for different positions.

At Interview Query, we empower you to unlock your interview prowess with a comprehensive toolkit, equipping you with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic guidance to conquer every LivePerson interview challenge.

You can check out all our company interview guides for better preparation, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Good luck with your interview!