Specific, in-depth information on how to get hired as a Flexport Software Engineer, including a list of the stages and questions that are asked at each one.
Interviewing at Flexport can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience As a fast-growing logistics startup, Flexport is highly selective in its hiring process With thorough interview rounds focused on skills, culture fit and problem solving, it’s important to be prepared to land a job here.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about interviewing at Flexport I’ll provide tips on how to prepare, the types of Flexport interview questions you can expect, and example answers to help you ace your interviews
About Flexport Interviews
Flexport conducts multiple rounds of interviews as part of its selective hiring process. Here’s a quick overview of what to expect:
Phone Interview – 30 minute call focused on resume review, basic qualifications and culture fit. Aims to determine if you should proceed to onsite.
1st Round Onsite – 3-4 hour onsite at Flexport HQ consisting of 3-5 interviews on experience, technical skills and culture fit.
2nd Round Onsite – Half day onsite focused on complex technical interviews, case studies and executive panels. The final step before receiving an offer.
Throughout the process, Flexport looks for key qualities including problem-solving, grit, intelligence, drive and cultural fit. The interviews will aim to assess these through questions, tests and scenarios.
Preparing well in advance is crucial to standing out amongst the thousands of applicants Flexport receives each year. Let’s look at how to ace both the phone and onsite interview rounds.
Tips for Flexport Phone Interview
Your first step is the 30 minute preliminary phone call. Here are some tips to succeed:
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Review your resume – Be prepared to walk through and expand upon every item on your resume. Know your experience well.
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Research the role and Flexport – Understand the day-to-day responsibilities and what skills are needed. Study Flexport’s mission, values, and competitive advantages.
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Prepare answers to common questions – Expect questions on your experience, why Flexport, greatest strengths/weaknesses, and situational scenarios. Rehearse concise talking points for each.
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Practice phone interviewing – Phone screens require different etiquette than onsite. Use a friend to practice articulating answers clearly and concisely over the phone.
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Show passion and curiosity – Express genuine interest in Flexport’s mission and opportunities. Ask thoughtful questions that show enthusiasm.
With preparation, you can confidently breeze through the phone screen and advance to the intensive onsite process.
Flexport Onsite Interview Tips
If you’re invited onsite, that means Flexport sees you as a serious contender. Here are some tips for acing the 3-5 hour gauntlet of interviews:
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Dress professionally – Err on the formal side with business professional attire. You want to look sharp and exude confidence.
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Study the Flexport interview questions – Review common questions asked for your role online. Prepare talking points and examples to illustrate abilities.
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Practice whiteboarding – Many interviews involve writing code or diagrams on a whiteboard. Brush up on those skills which can get rusty if you don’t use them.
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Bring copies of your resume – Hand this to each interviewer to refresh their memory and keep interviews focused.
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Ask good questions – Interviewers notice if you don’t ask questions. Research and prepare thoughtful questions that show your interest.
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Be yourself – Flexport values authenticity. Relax, smile and have natural conversations focused on your abilities rather than just what they want to hear.
With multiple intense interviews, the day can become grueling. Stay energized by eating well, resting between interviews, and remaining positive throughout.
Flexport Interview Questions and Answers
Let’s look at examples of the most common Flexport interview questions and high scoring answers:
Tell me about yourself
This is usually the opening question to kick off interviews. Focus your answer on your most relevant experience and skills for the role. Provide an overview of your background and why you’re uniquely positioned for this opportunity.
Sample Answer:
“I’m an operations professional with over 7 years experience in supply chain and logistics. In my current role at Amazon, I oversee route planning and optimization for delivery fleets across Southern California. We’ve been able to reduce mileage by 10% through myTerritory planning initiatives. I’m passionate about efficiency and process improvement in logistics operations. When I heard about Flexport’s mission to modernize global trade, I knew I could make a strong impact here. That’s why I’m so excited to apply my skills in route optimization, vendor relations, and team leadership to this role.”
Why do you want to work at Flexport?
Interviewers want to gauge your passion for Flexport. Convey genuine interest and show you’ve done your research on the company’s mission, values and competitive edge.
Sample Answer:
“What excites me most about Flexport is your mission to streamline global trade through technology. Global logistics involves so many manual processes that are ripe for optimization through intelligent software. After researching Flexport, I was impressed by your fully integrated platform and data-driven approach. Your phenomenal growth shows how valuable your solution is. Beyond your mission, I appreciate your intense focus on culture, learning potential, and community values. Everything I’ve read makes Flexport sound like an incredible place to work, which is why I’m so motivated to contribute here.”
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Be honest while positioning your strengths as most relevant to the role. For weaknesses, choose traits you’ve actively improved upon. Follow up with steps you’ve taken to minimize your weaknesses.
Sample Answer:
“My biggest strength is my analytical ability – I’m able to rapidly diagnose problems, spot inefficiencies, and propose data-driven solutions. This has served me well in previous continuous improvement roles. On the flip side, early in my career I struggled with public speaking. Being an introvert, I avoided presentations and large meetings. Over the past few years, I’ve challenged myself by volunteering to present at company townhalls. I also took an improv comedy class which helped me think on my feet. While public speaking may never be my strongest suit, I’ve made major strides.”
Why are you leaving your current job?
Never speak negatively about your current employer. Instead focus on seeking growth opportunities or reasons you’re attracted to Flexport. You can mention lacking learning potential or strength of culture fit.
Sample Answer:
“I’ve learned a tremendous amount in my role over the past 3 years. But recently I’ve craved more opportunities to take on new challenges and continue advancing my skills. When researching options, Flexport stood out as an organization investing heavily in talent development, which is quite appealing to me. Beyond growth, I’m motivated by Flexport’s inspiring mission of transforming global trade. The prospect of innovating logistics through technology is exactly what I’m ready to tackle next.”
Describe a challenge you faced and how you overcame it
Use a real example that demonstrates skills like problem-solving, creativity, perseverance, and teamwork. Explain the specifics of the challenge, actions you took, and results.
Sample Answer:
“When COVID first hit, it was an all hands on deck situation for our ecommerce company. With shopper demand surging, we faced severe inventory shortages. I worked with our merchandising team to pinpoint high velocity products at risk of stock-outs. I suggested we identify alternative suppliers, even if at higher cost. We ended up forming new supplier partnerships in just 2 weeks for certain products by fast-tracking paperwork. This allowed us to restock critical products other competitors ran out of. It wasn’t easy but we did what was needed to meet customer expectations.”
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Share your long-term vision for career growth while conveying flexibility. Assure the interviewer you intend to stay long-term but have an open mind to opportunities within the company.
Sample Answer:
“My goal is to really master supply chain analytics here and become an expert in leveraging data to optimize logistics. I hope to be able to tackle progressively more complex optimization challenges. I’m excited Flexport offers so many growth opportunities within engineering and operations. While I can’t predict exactly where I’ll be, I know I want to develop leadership skills and help mentor other analysts. Most importantly, I want to grow with Flexport. I’m committed to making a long-term impact in whatever role best matches the company’s needs.”
Questions to Ask Flexport in Interviews
When they ask if you have any questions, never say no! This is your chance to show thoughtful interest. Prepare at least 5-7 questions focused on culture, training, leadership, and growth opportunities.
Here are some strong examples:
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How would you describe Flexport’s culture and values? What types of people tend to thrive here?
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What are some of the biggest challenges facing your engineering team currently? How are you addressing them?
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What types of training and professional development opportunities are offered to analysts?
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How is performance evaluated and feedback given to employees?
Flexport Software Engineer Interview Guide
The Flexiport software engineer interview process is pretty comprehensive and includes the following 5 rounds:
- Online Assessment
- HR Phone Screen
- Technical Screen
- Coding/Technical Interview
- Hiring Manager Interview
Lets look at each of these in detail.
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The initial phase of the interviewing process involves an online assessment that consists of approximately five questions. These questions are about evaluating your proficiency in various computer science concepts but arent particularly challenging. If you spend enough time-solving Leetcode questions, you should be able to get through this round smoothly.
It is important to keep in mind that the online test doesn’t just include traditional LeetCode problems; it also includes front-end and SQL questions.
This 20-minute HR phone screen usually includes standard “get to know you” questions meant to learn about the candidate’s past jobs and why they want to work for Flexport.
You can expect to be asked about things like your graduation status, preferred start date, current location, and willingness to move.
The wait after the phone screen may be long, as reported by previous candidates.
In the third interview round, you’ll be talking to the hiring manager. During this round, you’ll probably be asked about basic computer science topics like data structures, algorithms, and system design. The stage often includes a coding challenge (a Hackerank or Leetcode medium) designed to test your coding proficiency. You shouldn’t worry, though, because the challenges are usually easy, with questions like “make a checkerboard” and similar ones. You will use a shared code editor to solve the problem, which will let the interviewer see your coding skills in real time.
A recent candidate reported being asked the following question, for instance:
There is a shipping yard that can hold as many containers as it wants and customers who want to store their containers. Design a system which can manage the operations of the yard.
- Begin with a client who wants to add or remove containers, i.e. e. (containers, amount).
- Add buying and selling operations to the system to make it more useful, and keep an order book where records of all buy and sell order requests are kept.
- Bidding should be added to every buy and sell request, and the deal should be made based on the best offer.
That person was asked to describe how hard the problem was and if there were any ways they could make it better with more time.
The technical/coding round of the software engineer interview process takes place on-site. You can expect to have an architecture interview and several coding interviews on a whiteboard. These interviews will likely test your understanding of OOP concepts, data structures, algorithms, and system designs.
The level of coding questions on LeetCode is usually easy to medium. This is because the interviewer is more interested in how you think than in how well you can solve hard problems.
You might even be asked to talk about the steps you would take to solve a coding problem, like figuring out if two letters that are next to each other are the same, or to answer a recursion question.
To get ready for this round, you should go over basic programming ideas, work on coding problems, and be able to explain your thought process in a clear and concise way. There must be clear evidence that you fully grasp these ideas and know how to use them to effectively resolve tough issues. If you have gone through other interviews that similar, i. e. Google Software Engineering Interview, you would realise that system design questions are important too.
For the system design questions, you’ll need to give a high-level architecture and explain the parts and how they work together. You might be asked to think about performance, scalability, and fault tolerance in your design and to explain the trade-offs and things you thought about when making your choices.
Remember to stay calm, ask questions, and think through your solutions carefully.
One very good way to get ready for the real technical/coding round is to practice interviews with an experienced software engineer.
Mock interviews provide an opportunity to simulate real interview conditions and receive feedback on your performance. The expert may ask you coding questions, give you advice on how to solve problems, and give you advice on how to clearly explain your thinking. You can improve your skills this way, and you’ll be ready to go into the real interview with confidence.
Booking a 60-minute session with a Flexport Full Stack Software Engineer expert here.
- Implement a sorting algorithm (e.g. quicksort, mergesort) from scratch
- Implement a graph traversal algorithm (e.g. BFS, DFS)
- Given a list of meeting times, find the fewest rooms that are needed to fit all of them.
- It is your job to figure out how many of the n intervals in question overlap at any given time.
- Design a distributed file system
- Design a recommendation system for e-commerce
- Design a fault-tolerant messaging system
- Design a social network with millions of users
The role of a Flexport Software Engineer
FlexiblePort is a major platform that makes global trade possible in an industry that makes up 12% of the world’s GDP in 2012. The company actively seeks out very skilled and well-paid software developers in order to carry out its mission of making global trade easier for users.
Flexport is considered a highly sought-after employer in the tech industry. As an SWE (Software Engineer) at Flexport, you will work on products that are changing the logistics and supply chain industries in a big way.
In terms of compensation, Flexport offers competitive salaries, equity packages, and a comprehensive benefits package, which includes health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks. The average salary for software engineers at Flexiport ranges between US$207.58K to US$480.83K per annum:
- Software Engineer I (Entry Level): US$207.58K
- Software Engineer II: US$257.65K
- Senior Software Engineer: US$344.73K
- Staff Engineer: US$480.83K
Interview with Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen
What questions will I be asked when interviewing at Flexport?
Prepare for the types of questions you are likely to be asked when interviewing for a position at Flexport. When it comes to interviewing for a job at Flexport, you can expect to be asked questions that assess your knowledge of the freight forwarding and logistics industry, as well as your ability to use Flexport’s software platform.
What is the recruiting process like at Flexport?
I interviewed at Flexport The recruiting process at this company needs significant improvement. Candidates are often interviewed without a clear idea of the headcount and then left without any feedback or updates. It appears that both recruiters and interviewers may not have a clear understanding of the hiring needs.
What is the interview process like at a logistics company?
Talking to them, they didn’t seem like an employer of the highest quality. HR phone interview, asking some of your basic information and prospects. Then progress to manager interview, asking some cv based questions, behavioural questions, and knowledge-wise questions about the logistics industry.
