LinkedIn's Interview Process (2025)

Blog / LinkedIn's Interview Process (2025)

The LinkedIn software engineer interview process is thorough and spans several weeks, designed to evaluate candidates on both technical skills and cultural fit. As you prepare for your journey, understanding the structure of the interview process can give you a significant advantage. Candidates can expect a mix of behavioral assessments and technical evaluations, ensuring that they not only have the right skills but also align with LinkedIn's values. Here's what the interview process typically looks like:

Recruiter Phone Screen: This initial step lasts 15 to 30 minutes, focusing on your background and motivations. Expect basic behavioral questions and logistics discussions.
Onsite / Virtual Onsite Interviews: The most intensive stage, comprising multiple rounds that assess coding, system design, and behavioral aspects over 3-6 weeks.
Decision: After the interviews, expect a deliberation period of 1 to 2 weeks before receiving an offer.

To help you prepare effectively, we'll explore various question categories commonly encountered during LinkedIn's interview process. Each category will provide insights into the types of questions you might face, along with examples and preparation tips.

Coding/Data Structures & Algorithms - Focused on your coding skills and problem-solving abilities.
System Design - Evaluating your ability to design scalable systems.
Behavioral/Hiring Manager/Cultural Fit - Assessing your fit within LinkedIn's culture and your past experiences.
Computer Fundamentals - For senior roles, testing your knowledge of core computer science concepts.

1. Coding/Data Structures & AlgorithmsCoding questions are a significant part of LinkedIn's interview process, especially during technical screens and onsite interviews. Candidates can expect problems that assess their grasp of fundamental concepts such as string manipulation, queues, binary trees, and graphs. These questions often test your ability to design efficient solutions while clearly explaining your reasoning. To prepare effectively, explore the TechPrep 100, our curated list of the most popular coding questions across top tech companies, and check out our dedicated collection of LinkedIn-tagged interview questions. Both are designed to help you practice the exact types of challenges you’re likely to encounter in your interview.Focus on mastering time and space complexity analysis and developing clean, optimized code.

2. System DesignSystem design interviews at LinkedIn are notable for being product-centric rather than purely abstract. While you may encounter generic prompts, many questions revolve around designing core LinkedIn features - such as the News Feed, their Notification System or the key parts of a Social Media Platform.This approach tests not only your architectural knowledge but also your product sense - the ability to understand user needs and business objectives, and translate them into functional and non-functional requirements.A successful answer requires thinking like a product manager before thinking like an architect - balancing trade-offs between scalability, personalization, and user experience, and demonstrating how design choices align with the platform’s real-world use cases.You can deepen this practice and refine your reasoning on our AI System Design Whiteboard.

3. Behavioral/Hiring Manager/Cultural FitBehavioral interviews at LinkedIn are designed to uncover how you think, collaborate, and approach challenges.Interviewers look for evidence of ownership, impact, adaptability, and strong communication, as well as alignment with LinkedIn’s core values such as integrity, transformation, and results-driven teamwork.Rather than testing technical skills, these conversations dig into your past experiences to understand how you make decisions, handle setbacks, and contribute to team success.To prepare effectively, explore our Behavioral Interview Course which breaks down proven storytelling frameworks and guiding principles to help you structure your responses with clarity and confidence.Then, use the Behavioral Playbook to practice questions and answers interactively, leveraging AI-enhanced feedback to refine your delivery and highlight your most relevant strengths.

4. Technical CommunicationThis is a distinctive, non-coding technical interview. The format involves the candidate choosing one significant project from their past experience and presenting a deep dive on it.The interviewer probes deeply into the project’s architecture, the technical challenges faced, the decisions made, and the lessons learned.The primary goal is to evaluate the candidate’s ability to clearly and concisely articulate complex technical concepts, justify their design choices, and reflect on their work.This round is a direct assessment of leadership potential, cross-functional communication skills, and technical storytelling ability.To prepare effectively, explore our Projects section, designed to help you build and refine impressive portfolio projects, and practice walking through their architecture, trade-offs, and design reasoning just like in this interview.

ConclusionAs you embark on your interview journey with LinkedIn, preparation will be your greatest advantage.Take time to understand each interview stage and the types of questions you’re likely to encounter - from coding challenges to system design and behavioral discussions.Refine your technical and storytelling skills, and approach each interview as both a test and an opportunity to grow.To structure your preparation effectively, follow our LinkedIn Interview Roadmap, which provides a step-by-step guide to mastering every stage of the process.Stay focused, stay positive, and take confident steps toward securing your dream role at LinkedIn.

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TechPrep has helped thousands of engineers land their dream jobs in Big Tech and beyond. Covering 60+ topics, including coding and DSA challenges, system design write-ups, and interactive quizzes, TechPrep saves you time, builds your confidence, and makes technical interviews a breeze.