I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Walmart (San Francisco, CA) in Oct 2025
Interview
I was contacted by an engineering manager for an initial chat about an iOS Software Engineer position, followed by coordination from a recruiter who scheduled three virtual onsite interviews (one hour each).
The recruiter’s email outlined three rounds — two coding interviews (medium-level, algorithmic style) and one system design session. However, the actual interviews consisted of Xcode-based coding exercises, where I was asked to share my screen and work through scenarios.
The first interview began simply but escalated into increasingly complex scenarios involving threading and asynchronous behavior, ultimately leading to a discussion about publisher-based design approaches.
The second round was more straightforward and well-structured.
The third round involved unit testing an undocumented Combine-based class, including uncertainty around whether to refactor the provided code or create a new mock network service. Some methods also directly mutated models, which added to the complexity and ambiguity.
Overall, the first round had clear expectations and was technically rigorous — the interviewer was direct and assertive but ultimately helpful and informative. The last round, however, felt ambiguous and discouraging, with shifting expectations and limited clarity on what changes were allowed. Clearer guidance and better alignment with the outlined interview format would greatly improve the overall candidate experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Practical exercises with challenging code and unit testing under time-pressure.
Surprisingly easy-going for a big name like Walmart. The interview started with a simple coding challenge focused on detecting cycles in directed graphs. I felt pretty relaxed during the technical rounds, which were straightforward and conversational. The wild part was recognizing the question as a close variant of one I had practiced on PracHub just days earlier. It definitely boosted my confidence. Overall, I was impressed with the process and was thrilled to receive an offer, which I happily accepted.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Course Schedule (detect a cycle in a directed graph using topological sort / DFS)
First, standard short phone call with recruiter. Then a 1-hour interview with an engineer on the team, asked about technical experience and background, and did a live coding assessment via video call. Fairly standard Leetcode style questions
Intense but rewarding — the interview for the Software Engineer position at Walmart Labs was tougher than I anticipated. The technical rounds included an LRU Cache implementation question where I had to articulate my design thoughts on thread safety, followed by a complex system design for a real-time inventory service. What made a difference in my prep were the company-specific prompts I found on prachub.com; they really helped me understand the types of questions I might face. Despite the challenging nature of the interviews, I ultimately received an offer but chose to decline.