Snap Inc. Interview Guide Overview

Snap Inc. is a leading technology company that believes the camera can improve how people live and communicate. The company's core products include Snapchat, a visual messaging app; Lens Studio, an augmented reality platform; and Spectacles, AR glasses. Snap contributes to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.

We are seeking a Research Scientist to join Snap Research's User Modeling and Personalization Research Team. The team aims to innovate in modeling user behavior to build world-class user-centric ML systems, impacting millions of users with personalized experiences. The role involves leading research projects, creating scalable prototypes, and collaborating with engineering teams to implement technologies widely.

In this guide, Interview Query will walk you through Snap Inc.'s interview process for the Research Scientist position, provide commonly asked questions, and offer valuable preparation tips.

Submitting Your Application

The first step is to submit a compelling application that reflects your technical skills and interest in joining Snap Inc. as a Research Scientist. Whether you were contacted by a Snap 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 Snap Talent Acquisition Team will make contact to verify key details like your experiences and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be a part of the screening process.

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

The whole recruiter call should take about 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 Snap Research Scientist role usually is conducted through virtual means, including video conference and screen sharing. Questions in this 1-hour long interview stage may revolve around Snap’s ML system design, ML coding, and user modeling.

In the case of research-oriented roles, take-home assignments regarding design prototypes, evaluating ML models, and data analysis are incorporated. Your proficiency against machine learning algorithms, solving challenging research problems, and your ability to mentor junior researchers may also be assessed during the round.

Depending on the seniority of the position, case studies and similar real-scenario problems may also be assigned.

Onsite Interview Rounds

Followed by a second recruiter call outlining the next stage, you’ll be invited to attend the onsite interview loop. Multiple interview rounds, varying with the role, will be conducted during your day at the Snap office. Your technical prowess, including researching new algorithms and collaboration capabilities, will be evaluated against the finalized candidates throughout these interviews.

If you were assigned take-home exercises, a presentation round may also await you during the onsite interview for the Research Scientist role at Snap.

Quick Tips For Snap Inc. Research Scientist Interviews

• Deepen Technical Knowledge: Snap Inc. focuses heavily on state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms and large-scale machine learning. Brush up on these areas thoroughly.
• Demonstrate Problem-Solving Skills: Be prepared to tackle challenging research projects and demonstrate your problem-solving abilities in the interviews.
• Show Innovation and Collaboration: Snap values dynamic collaboration and innovation. Practice explaining past projects where you’ve transformed research into tangible product improvements.

Typically, interviews at Snap vary by role and team, but commonly Research Scientist 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.

• Write a function to find the missing number in an array of integers spanning 0 to n. 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.

• Write a function 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. Write a function to search for a target value in the array and return its index, or -1 if not found. Bonus: Achieve (O(\log n)) runtime complexity.

• How would you measure success for Facebook Stories? Determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) for Facebook Stories. Consider metrics such as user engagement, daily active users, time spent on Stories, and user retention. How would you measure and analyze these metrics to define success?

• How would you decide whether or not to create a product, like a job board, for Facebook? Imagine Facebook is considering creating a job board. What factors and data would you analyze to decide whether to proceed with this product? How would you evaluate its potential impact and success?

• How would you design an A/B test to evaluate the effectiveness of a Facebook job board? Imagine Facebook is creating a job board. How would you set up an A/B test to evaluate its effectiveness? Specify the metrics you would track and the criteria for determining success.

• How do we measure the launch of Robinhood’s fractional shares program? As a data scientist at Robinhood, how would you measure the success of the fractional shares program launch? Identify the key metrics and methods for evaluating the program's impact on user behavior and overall platform performance.

• How would you evaluate the suitability and performance of a decision tree model for predicting loan repayment? You are tasked with building a decision tree model to predict if a borrower will repay a personal loan. How would you evaluate whether a decision tree is the correct model for this problem? If you proceed with the decision tree, how would you evaluate its performance before and after deployment?

• How does random forest generate the forest and why use it over logistic regression? Explain how a random forest generates its forest of trees. Additionally, discuss why you might choose random forest over other algorithms like logistic regression.

• When would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm? Compare two machine learning algorithms. In which scenarios would you use a bagging algorithm versus 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? Your manager asks you to build a neural network model to solve a business problem. How would you justify the complexity of this model and explain its predictions to non-technical stakeholders?

• What metrics would you use to track the accuracy and validity of a spam classifier? You are tasked with building a spam classifier for emails and have completed a V1 of the model. What metrics would you use to track the accuracy and validity of the model?

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

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

• Is there anything suspicious about finding a significant variant in an A/B test with 20 variants? Your manager runs an A/B test with 20 different variants and finds one significant result. Evaluate if there is anything suspicious about these results.

• How do 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: python li = [1,2,2] Output: python median(li) -> 2

• What are the drawbacks of the given student test score data layouts, 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 to make the data more useful for analysis, and describe common problems seen in "messy" datasets.

Dataset 1 and 2:

What is the average salary for a Research Scientist at Snap Inc.?

Q: What is the interview process at Snap Inc. like for the Research Scientist position?

The interview process at Snap Inc. typically involves multiple stages, including an initial recruiter call, technical interviews focusing on ML system design and coding, and onsite interviews. Interviewers are encouraging and often provide hints if you're stuck. Be prepared for an overall positive and engaging experience.

Q: What kind of projects will I work on as a Research Scientist at Snap Inc.?

As a Research Scientist, you'll lead and support research projects in user modeling and personalization. You'll build scalable research prototypes, evaluate them in large-scale scenarios, publish findings at top conferences, and collaborate with engineering teams to implement your solutions for millions of users.

Q: What skills and qualifications are necessary to be successful in this position?

Key qualifications include a PhD in a related technical field (e.g., computer science, statistics, machine learning), a strong track record of publications, experience with ML libraries like PyTorch and TensorFlow, and experience in large-scale machine learning. Preferred skills include transforming cutting-edge research into product improvements and familiarity with distributed data processing on cloud platforms.

Q: What is the company culture like at Snap Inc.?

Snap Inc. values dynamic collaboration and believes in a "default together" approach, expecting team members to work in the office 4+ days per week. The company champions diversity and fosters an environment where various backgrounds and voices come together to innovate products that improve lives and communication.

Q: How can I best prepare for an interview at Snap Inc.?

To prepare for an interview at Snap Inc., research the company, its products, and the role. Brush up on your technical skills and review common interview questions on platforms like Interview Query. Practice system design and coding challenges to ensure you're ready for technical assessments.

Conclusion

Joining Snap Inc. as a Research Scientist on the User Modeling and Personalization Research Team presents a remarkable opportunity to pioneer cutting-edge ML solutions that redefine personalized user experiences. Snap Inc. is a vibrant technology company passionate about enhancing how people live and communicate through innovative products like Snapchat, Lens Studio, and Spectacles.

If you want more insights about the company, check out our main Snap Inc Interview Guide, where we have covered many 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 Snap’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 Snap Inc. Research Scientist interview question and 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 to us.

Good luck with your interview!