I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Meta in Feb 2018
Interview
Was first approached by an internal recruiter at Facebook via a LinkedIn message. Within a week I did an initial 15 minute screening interview in which the recruiter asked me if I had experience/competence in SQL, Python, or R.
Afterwards I was sent around 2-3 emails containing study material, along with advice on how to prepare for a 1-on-1 video interview I was to have. After I reviewed the material I was to schedule a time to interview with a Data Scientist Manager.
The interview was a mix of analytical problem solving and technical. It was enjoyable getting to interact with someone very talented in their skills and showcased Facebook's level of talent well. During the interview there was a degree of guidance as I navigated the technical components and analytical portion of the interview, which was expected per the interview prep material.
Personal Analysis of Interview:
It was great getting to be challenged both technically and analytically from the top talent around, and felt that I showcased my problem solving capabilities well but undersold my technical skills. Not sure I would have done any studying differently, I am just not at the technical level that is required at a company like Facebook.
However, it has been nearly a month since my interview and haven't received any communication from the HR department despite multiple (3) follow up emails on my behalf. Very disappointing, as I had a wonderful experience leading up to that. This experience has definitely soured the experience and desire to work at Facebook. Hopefully this is an isolated case.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Suppose the Recommended Friends team has updated the algorithm to analyze if the new algorithm is better than the old algorithm.
Given the following tables how would you know who has the most friends
REQUESTS
date | sender_id | accepter_id
ACCEPTED
accepted_at | accepter_id | sender_id
Tough interview overall—definitely not what I expected. The technical rounds were intense, particularly when they had me design an A/B test for the News Feed ranking algorithm. I had to discuss metrics and sample sizes in detail. Lucky for me, the time I spent on PracHub right before the interview helped me nail that deep-dive question as it mirrored what I practiced. The behavioral questions felt standard but were still challenging. After a whirlwind process, they extended an offer, which I happily accepted.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Design an A/B test to evaluate a new ranking algorithm for the Facebook News Feed. Walk through metric selection (engagement, time-spent, MSI, well-being), unit of randomization given network effects between friends, sample size and power calculations, how you'd detect novelty effects vs. true lift, and how you'd handle a guardrail metric regressing while the primary metric is up.
Total 7 rounds: first round for resume screening, second for technical screening, then for on-site virtual with 4 interviews back to back, then hiring manager round after team matching and then salary negotiation with HR
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Meta’s evaluation rubrics focus heavily on "Product Thinking over Fancy Math". Interviewers want to see if you can operate like a product owner with an analytical mindset, navigating messy scenarios affecting billions of users
The Interview Process is very structured -
First Tech Screening round - 45 mins (usually can extend a bit depending on the interviewer)
- 2 SQL Questions ( Medium to Hard ) - based on Joins
Full Loop - 4 rounds 45 mins each.
- SQL
- Behavioral
- Analytical Execution - stats & prob, A/B testing, case study
- Analytical Reasoning - Case study
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Questions on Bayes Theorem, Probability distribution, etc.
