Ericsson's Interview Process (2026)

Blog / Ericsson's Interview Process (2026)

The Ericsson software engineer interview process typically spans 3 to 4 weeks and generally follows a structured pipeline of 4 to 5 stages, though the exact format can vary by team and seniority level.

Recruiter Screen: A 20 to 30 minute phone or video call where you'll typically walk through your resume, discuss key projects, and talk about your motivation for joining Ericsson. Recruiters often pay close attention to the reasoning behind your technical decisions, not just what you built.
Online Assessment: Usually hosted on HackerRank or Codility, this around 45 to 60 minute assessment generally includes 2 to 3 coding problems at Easy to Medium difficulty. Some candidates also report a short MCQ section covering logical reasoning and CS fundamentals like OS, DBMS, and networking.
Technical Interview(s): One or two live video rounds with senior engineers, each typically around 60 minutes. Expect practical coding problems, and for mid to senior roles, a system design discussion often focused on Ericsson's telecommunications domain. Some candidates in 2026 also report a solution walkthrough where you explain the trade-offs in your online assessment code.
Hiring Manager / Behavioral Round: A 45 to 60 minute discussion focused on team fit, conflict resolution, and how you align with Ericsson's core values. This round typically uses a structured storytelling format, so having specific examples from your past experience ready will serve you well.
On-Demand Video Interview (Optional): Some teams or regions include an early automated video screening, similar to HireVue, before the live technical rounds. Not all candidates encounter this stage, so treat it as a possible addition rather than a guaranteed step.

Once you understand the pipeline, the next step is knowing exactly what to study. Here are the key areas to focus your preparation on:

Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA): Practical coding problems ranging from Easy to Medium difficulty, with a focus on real-world implementation over theoretical puzzles.
System Design: Architecture questions tied to Ericsson's domain, including network monitoring, distributed systems, and microservices.
CS Fundamentals & Domain Knowledge: Networking concepts, language-specific deep dives, and tooling knowledge including Docker, Kubernetes, and Git.
Behavioral: Experience-based questions assessing team collaboration, conflict resolution, and alignment with Ericsson's values.

1. Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA)Ericsson's coding questions tend to sit at Easy to Medium difficulty, with an emphasis on practical implementation over complex algorithmic puzzles. Common topics include sliding window, DFS on a matrix, linked list manipulation, and string problems. You can sharpen these skills by working through our top 100 DSA questions.For linked list problems, practicing questions like Reverse Linked List is a solid starting point. Matrix traversal problems such as Pacific Atlantic Water Flow reflect the kind of DFS scenarios that come up in interviews. String-based questions like Valid Anagram and Valid Palindrome are also worth having ready.Ericsson interviewers are known to ask you to implement basic data structures from scratch, for example building a FIFO queue without using a built-in library. Practicing sliding window and graphs problems will cover a large portion of what tends to come up.

2. System DesignFor mid to senior roles, system design is a meaningful part of the process. Questions are often framed around Ericsson's actual domain, so you might be asked to design a real-time network traffic monitor, a distributed logging system, or a microservices-based API for network configuration. Reviewing High-Level Design concepts will give you the vocabulary and frameworks to handle these confidently.A good way to practice is to work through architecture problems interactively using our System Design Whiteboard. Getting comfortable with concepts like rate limiting is especially useful, since they surface frequently in real-time systems design. You can explore a worked example with the Rate Limiter solution.Ericsson interviewers value clear trade-off reasoning over elaborate solutions. When you propose an architecture, be ready to explain why you chose one approach over another, for instance why you might pick UDP over TCP for a streaming use case.

3. CS Fundamentals & Domain KnowledgeThe online assessment and technical rounds often include questions on core CS topics like operating systems, databases, and networking. Brushing up on networking fundamentals is especially worthwhile given Ericsson's focus on telecommunications. Topics like TCP vs. UDP, REST API design, and 5G vs. 4G latency differences have all been reported as fair game.Language-specific depth matters here too. Depending on the team, you may be asked detailed questions about Java with Spring Boot, Python, or C++. If you list a tool like Kafka or Docker on your resume, 2026 candidates report that interviewers will probe you on why you chose that tool over an alternative, so be ready to defend those choices.For a grounding in broader system-level concepts, system design core concepts and operating systems concepts are worth reviewing before your technical rounds.

4. BehavioralThe hiring manager round at Ericsson focuses on collaboration, conflict resolution, and how you demonstrate Ericsson's core values: Respect, Integrity, Perseverance, and Professionalism. Having 3 to 4 well-structured stories from your past experience ready will make this round much more manageable. Using the STAR principle to frame your answers keeps your responses clear and focused.Interviewers also tend to probe the reasoning behind your past decisions, especially technical ones listed on your resume. This is sometimes called a "Resume Defense," and it means you should be prepared to explain not just what you did, but why you made specific choices over available alternatives.For broader preparation, the Behavioral Playbook walks through the most common question types and how to approach them across different experience levels.

ConclusionEricsson rewards solid engineering judgment and clear communication over flashy algorithms, so the candidates who do best are the ones who can explain their thinking as well as write the code. Start with the areas most relevant to your target role and build from there. For a structured, step-by-step plan covering every stage, follow the Ericsson Interview Roadmap to work toward your offer.

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