As a Software Engineer at Iru, you play a pivotal role in shaping the technology that drives our products and services. The position is not merely about writing code; it is about innovating, problem-solving, and creating systems that enhance user experiences and streamline operations. You will work on various projects that have a direct impact on our users, enabling them to achieve their goals efficiently and effectively. In this role, you will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, designers, and other engineers. You will tackle complex technical challenges, implement scalable solutions, and contribute to the overall architecture of our systems. The work you do will significantly influence the direction of our product development, making it a critical position within Iru that offers ample opportunities for personal and professional growth. Expect to engage with cutting-edge technologies and methodologies, allowing you to continuously expand your skill set. This role is ideal for individuals who are passionate about technology and eager to make a meaningful impact within a dynamic and supportive environment.
Recruiter Call
reportedInitial screening call with a recruiter to discuss the candidate's background and role fit.
What to demonstrate
- Initial screening call with a recruiter to discuss the candidate's background and role fit
- Depth in Coding Interviews (Algorithms)
How to prepare
- Be able to walk your CV end to end in two minutes, and say why this company specifically.
- Have your salary expectations, notice period and location constraints ready, and ask for the rest of the loop in writing.
Technical Interviews
reportedInterviews focusing on technical skills, including coding assessments and system design discussions.
What to demonstrate
- Interviews focusing on technical skills
- Including coding assessments and system design discussions
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: Describe the concept of microservices and how they differ from monolithic architectures.
- Answer aloud and timed: How do you ensure the performance and scalability of your applications?
Behavioral Interviews
reportedInterviews assessing cultural fit and behavioral aspects with various stakeholders.
What to demonstrate
- Interviews assessing cultural fit and behavioral aspects with various stakeholders
- Depth in Coding Interviews (Algorithms)
How to prepare
- Prepare three examples from your own work, each with a decision you made and an outcome you can quantify.
- Re-read the description of the behavioral interviews above and write down what you would ask to confirm before it.
PracHub editorial advice for the preparation topics above.
Practice coding under time constraints
Time management is crucial during technical assessments. Simulate interview conditions to build your confidence.
Understand the company’s products and services
Familiarize yourself with Iru’s offerings, as this knowledge can enrich your discussions during interviews.
Be prepared for scenario-based questions
Interviewers may present you with real-world challenges. Think critically about how you would address these situations.
Show enthusiasm for the role and company
Employers appreciate candidates who demonstrate genuine interest in the position and the mission of the company.
Choose a category, try a prompt, then open its approach, worked solution or follow-up when you need it.
Write a function to reverse a linked list.
Write a function to reverse a linked list.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Implement a binary search algorithm in your preferred programming language.
Implement a binary search algorithm in your preferred programming language.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Given a string, write a function to count the frequency of each character.
Given a string, write a function to count the frequency of each character.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
How would you approach optimizing a slow-running SQL query?
How would you approach optimizing a slow-running SQL query?
Approach
- Name the grain you start from and join outward from it.
- Check whether any join is one-to-many before aggregating, or the sums inflate.
- Say which index the query would use, and what makes it unusable.
- Handle the rows that do not match: that is usually the actual question.
Follow-up
- How does the query change if that join becomes one-to-many?
- What happens to this when the table is ten times larger?
Replace offset paging on the resource feed with keyset
resource holds resource_id, tenant_id, owner_user_id, title, body_ref, version, status ('draft','active','archived','deleted'), created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, with an index on (tenant_id, status, updated_at DESC, resource_id DESC). The listing endpoint returns active resources for one tenant, newest update first, 50 per page, today with LIMIT 50 OFFSET n. Tenants reach page 400 and rows are created while they read. Write the keyset query, define what the cursor carries and how it is encoded, and say which part of the index each predicate uses. Assume PostgreSQL 16.
Approach
- Name the two failures separately. OFFSET 20000 makes the server produce and discard 20,000 rows, so page cost grows with depth rather than with page size. Independently, any write that changes how many rows sort above the offset moves the window between two fetches, and the direction decides which anomaly you get: an insert lands at the head of updated_at DESC and pushes already-returned rows down past the boundary, so they are returned a second time; a delete above the offset, or a row whose updated_at is bumped above the cursor, pulls rows up and one is never returned at all. Nothing in the response reveals either.
- Write the seek: WHERE tenant_id = $1 AND status = 'active' AND (updated_at, resource_id) < ($2, $3) ORDER BY updated_at DESC, resource_id DESC LIMIT 50. The row-value comparison is one index range rather than a disjunction, and both columns are NOT NULL, which is what makes that comparison well defined.
- Map each predicate onto the index: tenant_id and status are equality on the leading columns, (updated_at, resource_id) is the range, and the ORDER BY matches the index order so no Sort node appears and the scan stops after 50 rows. The DESC in the definition only matters for mixed directions — a plain ascending btree on the same columns is read backwards for this query.
- Put both sort columns in the cursor and nothing the client can tamper with into another tenant: base64 of (updated_at, resource_id), validated server-side, with tenant_id taken from the principal.
Follow-up
- The client asks for 'jump to page 400'. What do you offer instead, and what does the honest version cost?
- Sort order becomes user-selectable across four columns. How many indexes is that, and which would you refuse to add?
Explain the difference between an abstract class and an interface in Java.
Explain the difference between an abstract class and an interface in Java.
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
What are the benefits of using version control systems, and how have you utilized them in your projects?
What are the benefits of using version control systems, and how have you utilized them in your projects?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Describe the concept of microservices and how they differ from monolithic architectures.
Describe the concept of microservices and how they differ from monolithic architectures.
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
How do you ensure the performance and scalability of your applications?
How do you ensure the performance and scalability of your applications?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
What design patterns have you implemented in your previous work?
What design patterns have you implemented in your previous work?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Design a data structure that supports insert, delete, and getRandomElement operations in constant time.
Design a data structure that supports insert, delete, and getRandomElement operations in constant time.
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
Design a URL shortening service like Bitly. What considerations would you make?
Design a URL shortening service like Bitly. What considerations would you make?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
How would you approach building a real-time chat application?
How would you approach building a real-time chat application?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
Describe the architecture of an e-commerce platform. What components are essential?
Describe the architecture of an e-commerce platform. What components are essential?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
What strategies would you use to ensure high availability in a distributed system?
What strategies would you use to ensure high availability in a distributed system?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
Discuss how you would implement user authentication and authorization in a web application.
Discuss how you would implement user authentication and authorization in a web application.
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
Imagine that your team is behind schedule on a project. What steps would you take to get back on track?
Imagine that your team is behind schedule on a project. What steps would you take to get back on track?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
You need to refactor a legacy codebase. What strategies would you employ?
You need to refactor a legacy codebase. What strategies would you employ?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
How would you approach debugging a production issue that is affecting users?
How would you approach debugging a production issue that is affecting users?
Approach
- Establish what changed and when, before forming any theory.
- Pick a bisection that eliminates candidates whichever way it turns out.
- Check the instrumentation before believing the symptom.
- Separate the trigger from the cause; the deploy is rarely the bug.
Follow-up
- What would you look at first, and what would it rule out?
- How would you tell a cause from a coincidence here?
Built from the rounds and topics Iru candidates report.
Prepare, practise & reflect
One practical outcome each day. Spend longer where you need it.
0 / 7 done01Map the Iru loop
- Write out the reported sequence: Recruiter Call, Technical Interviews, Behavioral Interviews.
- For each round, write one sentence on what it is judging, from the description above, and mark the one you are least ready for.
Deliverable: A one-page map of the 3 reported rounds, with the weakest marked.
02Work Coding Interviews (Algorithms)
- Spend the session on Coding Interviews (Algorithms), which Iru candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Coding Interviews (Algorithms) and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Coding Interviews (Algorithms).
03Work Problem Solving
- Spend the session on Problem Solving, which Iru candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Problem Solving and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Problem Solving.
04Work System Design
- Spend the session on System Design, which Iru candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in System Design and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in System Design.
05Answer out loud: Technical / Domain Questions
- Answer aloud, timed: Explain the difference between an abstract class and an interface in Java.
- Answer aloud, timed: What are the benefits of using version control systems, and how have you utilized them in your projects?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Technical / Domain Questions question(s), under time.
06Answer out loud: Coding / Algorithms
- Answer aloud, timed: Write a function to reverse a linked list.
- Answer aloud, timed: Implement a binary search algorithm in your preferred programming language.
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Coding / Algorithms question(s), under time.
07Answer out loud: Behavioral / Leadership
- Answer aloud, timed: Describe a challenging project you worked on. How did you overcome obstacles?
- Answer aloud, timed: How do you prioritize tasks when faced with tight deadlines?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Behavioral / Leadership question(s), under time.
Expand any day for tasks and deliverables. Your progress is saved on this device.
Behavioural rounds judge the decision you made and what it cost.
Describe a challenging project you worked on. How did you overcome obstacles?
Describe a challenging project you worked on. How did you overcome obstacles?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you prioritize tasks when faced with tight deadlines?
How do you prioritize tasks when faced with tight deadlines?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Can you give an example of a time when you had to work with a difficult team member?
Can you give an example of a time when you had to work with a difficult team member?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
What motivates you to perform at your best?
What motivates you to perform at your best?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you approach receiving and providing feedback?
How do you approach receiving and providing feedback?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Discuss a time when you had to make a trade-off between performance and maintainability.
Discuss a time when you had to make a trade-off between performance and maintainability.
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How would you handle a situation where a key stakeholder has conflicting priorities?
How would you handle a situation where a key stakeholder has conflicting priorities?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
- 01
Describe a challenging project you worked on. How did you overcome obstacles?
- 02
How do you prioritize tasks when faced with tight deadlines?
- 03
Can you give an example of a time when you had to work with a difficult team member?
- 04
What motivates you to perform at your best?
What is the typical interview difficulty for this position?
The interviews for the Software Engineer role at Iru are generally considered to be average in difficulty. Candidates should prepare thoroughly, particularly for technical assessments and system design discussions.
Iru Software Engineer candidate reports ↗How should I prepare for the interviews?
Focus on honing your technical skills and familiarize yourself with common algorithms and data structures. Additionally, practice behavioral questions to effectively convey your experiences and alignment with Iru’s values.
Iru Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What differentiates successful candidates?
Successful candidates demonstrate a strong blend of technical expertise, problem-solving ability, and effective communication skills. They are also able to showcase their adaptability and collaboration in team settings.
Iru Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the typical timeline from initial screen to offer?
The entire interview process typically spans a few weeks, allowing sufficient time for each stage while keeping candidates informed about their progress.
Iru Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the company culture like at Iru?
Iru fosters a collaborative and innovative culture that values diversity, teamwork, and a commitment to excellence. The environment encourages continuous learning and embraces new ideas.
Iru Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What topics does Iru test in interviews?
Iru interviews most often cover Problem Solving, Stakeholder Communication, UX/UI Design Portfolio, Coding (QA Take-home), and SQL. The exact emphasis depends on the specific role you apply for.
Iru Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Sources & methodology 3 sources ↗
No official company page is cited. Rounds and questions come from candidate reports and PracHub editorial material; each source shows the date it was read.
- 01Iru Software Engineer candidate reports ↗
Company-reported rounds, questions and FAQ.
Candidate reports · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 02PracHub Software Engineer practice ↗
PracHub practice material, not company-reported.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 03PracHub preparation framework ↗
PracHub preparation guidance.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22
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