The Top Freewheel Interview Questions and How to Prepare

Getting hired at a top company like Freewheel requires being prepared to answer a wide range of technical and behavioral interview questions. With Freewheel at the forefront of TV and video advertising technology, competition for roles is fierce. This article will provide an overview of Freewheel, outline their hiring process, and detail the most common Freewheel interview questions with example responses. Follow this guide to gain the knowledge you need to ace your Freewheel interview.

Overview of Freewheel

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York City, Freewheel provides software solutions for cross-platform video advertising The company focuses on enabling TV networks to transition their ad operations and sales to digital, serving major media clients across the globe.

In 2007, Freewheel launched the first solutions for online video advertising. Since being acquired by Comcast in 2014, the company has continued to innovate and expand its product suite. Its flagship products include a unified yield optimization platform, multiscreen video ad management platform, and TV ad management system.

Freewheel’s mission is to help clients maximize revenue from their video inventory while providing seamless, viewer-friendly ad experiences. Their platform facilitates automated ad insertion, targeting, delivery, and measurement across devices. This allows broadcasters and publishers to efficiently manage and monetize their video ad inventory.

Freewheel’s Hiring Process

The typical hiring process at Freewheel consists of:

• Initial phone screen with HR or recruiter (30 mins)
• One to four technical and behavioral interview rounds (60-90 mins each)
• For some roles, a presentation on a case study or sample analysis

Interviewers often include hiring managers, prospective teammates, and senior technology or product leaders. The questions aim to assess both hard and soft skills relevant to the role.

The overall process can vary from one to several weeks depending on scheduling Candidates report the interviews are generally friendly yet thorough. Preparing responses to common questions ahead of time is key.

Most Frequent Freewheel Interview Questions and Answers

Here are some of the most frequently asked Freewheel interview questions with example responses:

1. Tell me about yourself and why you want to work here.

This is often used as an icebreaker question to get to know your background and motivation, Focus on highlighting your relevant experience and skills while conveying genuine interest in Freewheel,

Example:

“I’m a software engineer with over 5 years of experience developing scalable, high-performance advertising platforms and analytics tools. In my current role at XYZ Company, I led backend development for a machine learning-based ad targeting engine. We leveraged large datasets and algorithms to match relevant ads with viewers.

Freewheel appeals to me because of your focus on video advertising technology across devices. As video consumption continues shifting to digital, there is huge potential for innovation. I’m excited by the complexity of the challenges facing Freewheel such as seamless ad insertion, efficient ad delivery at scale, and cross-platform analytics. I believe my specialization in building robust real-time advertising systems would allow me to meaningfully contribute to your product suite and future offerings.”

2. Why do you want to leave your current job?

Hiring managers want to determine if you’re driven by the right motives. Avoid badmouthing your current employer. Instead focus on positive reasons like seeking greater challenges, opportunities for growth, and alignment with Freewheel’s mission.

Example:

“I’ve learned a tremendous amount in my current role, but after 4 years I’m looking for opportunities to take on more responsibility and continue advancing my skills. Freewheel is doing groundbreaking work at the intersection of TV, digital video, and advertising technology. Getting to focus my energy on shaping the future of video ad experiences would be an exciting challenge. Beyond the day-to-day work, I’m motivated by Freewheel’s collaborative culture and the potential for growth into leadership positions. This next step is about expanding my impact and being part of a company purpose-built around video and ad tech innovation.”

3. What are your salary expectations?

Research typical ranges for the position in your location using sites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn. Take into account your experience level and skills. Give a range rather than a specific figure to allow room for negotiation.

Example:

“Based on my research for a software engineering role here in NYC and my 6 years of relevant experience, I would expect a salary between $120,000 to $140,000. However, I prioritize finding the right team and impactful projects over compensation alone. I know Freewheel offers competitive salaries, so I am sure we can agree on a number that reflects the value I can bring to the role.”

4. Tell me about a challenging engineering project you worked on.

They want to understand your technical experience and how you overcame obstacles. Pick an example that showcases relevant skills. Explain the context, challenges faced, and walk through your approach to the solution.

Example:

“One project involved building a data pipeline to enrich our ad targeting algorithms with real-time viewership data. The main challenge was the huge volume of incoming data that needed rapid processing to enable real-time decision making.

My approach was to build a scalable system using Kafka to handle the data ingestion, along with Cassandra for its fast writes. To allow for parallel data processing, I used Spark Streaming to distribute computations across multiple worker nodes. The pipeline operated within our existing Kubernetes cluster which enabled it to scale elastically with load.

Testing under load was critical to ensure low latency. By load testing early and often, we could iterate to optimize performance and stability before going live. The resulting data pipeline reduced our ad targeting latency by 40% and became a core component of the system.”

5. How do you stay up to date on advertising technology trends?

Demonstrate curiosity and commitment to continuous learning – valued traits for any technology role. Discuss how you actively expand your knowledge.

Example:

“Staying current with trends in advertising tech is crucial, so I dedicate time each week to learning. I follow industry analysts on Twitter, subscribe to newsletters like AdExchanger, and regularly check sites like AdMonsters and AdAge.

I participate in relevant subreddits to engage in discussions around new technologies and strategies. I also attend local ad tech meetups and events whenever possible. These provide great exposure to innovators and leaders shaping the space.

Within my company, I participate in internal education sessions, hackathons and tech talks to continually expand my knowledge. This multifaceted approach allows me to constantly encounter new concepts, tools, and best practices to incorporate into my work.”

6. What do you consider your strengths and weaknesses?

Focus on strengths relevant to the role like technical skills, work ethic, and teamwork. When discussing weaknesses, choose an area you have improved on. Explain the steps you’ve taken to overcome it.

Example:

“One of my biggest strengths is my versatility as a software engineer. I’ve worked extensively with a range of languages, frameworks and systems. This allows me to adapt quickly and deliver in diverse environments.

Another major strength is my commitment to writing clean, well-tested code. I rely on agile methodologies to iterate frequently and gather user feedback. Attention to detail is also one of my strengths; I don’t let bugs slip through the cracks.

In terms of weaknesses, earlier in my career I struggled with time management. I wasn’t always good at accurately estimating tasks. However, I’ve improved dramatically by being more diligent about tracking my time and breaking large projects into manageable chunks. I also build in contingencies to account for the unknowns.”

7. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker. How did you handle it?

Show you can express disagreement tactfully while remaining focused on shared goals. Demonstrate emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills.

Example:

“During a recent project, a teammate wanted to employ a complex deep learning model for recommendations despite limitations around interpretability and performance. I felt a simpler collaborative filtering approach would satisfy the use case while being far easier to productionize and maintain.

Rather than dismiss their idea outright, I suggested A/B testing the two approaches first. This allowed us to make an evidence-based decision, and helped avoid tension or negativity within the team. The testing demonstrated the deep learning model overfit rapidly and required constant tuning. Ultimately we implemented collaborative filtering which proved performant, scalable, and sufficient for the business needs.

This experience showed the value of open communication, empirical evaluation, and focusing on our shared goal of building the best product. I learned to leverage data to resolve disagreements while respecting team members’ perspectives.”

8. How do you evaluate the tradeoffs between code quality and development speed?

Show you understand the nuances – quality isn’t sacrificed for speed yet rigor cannot cause excessive delays. Explain how you balance efficient coding with robust, maintainable programs.

Example:

“While agile teams move quickly, quality cannot be sacrificed entirely for speed. I take a balanced approach focused on maximizing development velocity without incurring technical debt.

Strategies I employ include modular architecture to isolate components, enabling parallel workstreams. I also utilize consistent code conventions and enforcement with linting. Automated testing ensures regressions are caught