Founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and acquired by Microsoft in 2016, LinkedIn has grown from a professional-networking site into a full-fledged talent, learning, and sales platform. It now serves more than 1 billion members worldwide. Products like LinkedIn Learning, Sales Navigator, Recruiter, and the Economic Graph dataset keep professionals connected, informed, and productive. Today, LinkedIn sits at the intersection of social media and enterprise software, combining a mission-driven culture with Microsoft’s scale to drive opportunity for the global workforce.
This blog will discuss what to expect from the LinkedIn interview process, including application tips, interview rounds, and preparation strategies.
Why join LinkedIn?
LinkedIn’s mission is to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. This mission isn’t just externally facing—it shapes how the company operates internally. CEO Ryan Roslansky has emphasized the importance of creating a workplace where employees feel empowered to grow, contribute, and find purpose in their work.
- Company culture and values: LinkedIn’s culture is guided by core values like “Members First,” “Relationships Matter,” and “Act Like an Owner.” These aren’t just slogans—they inform everyday decisions, from how teams collaborate to how products are built. The company actively fosters an environment of trust, inclusion, and growth. This is further reinforced through leadership transparency and ongoing feedback mechanisms.
- Career growth and mobility: Employees benefit from structured mentorship, robust internal mobility programs, and access to Microsoft’s expansive learning ecosystem. Career progression is treated as a shared responsibility between individuals and managers. Moreover, clear frameworks are in place to support growth across roles and functions.
- Inclusion and impact: Over 5,000 employees participate in LinkedIn’s global Employee Resource Groups, supporting communities across identity, culture, and interest. Monthly “InDay” events give everyone a dedicated space to step away from regular work and focus on learning, giving back, or exploring personal projects. This reinforces LinkedIn’s commitment to holistic employee development.
- Compensation and support: LinkedIn provides competitive compensation packages and generous wellness and education benefits. These include annual paid shutdowns in December and PerkUp! Stipends to support personal well-being. The company also matches charitable donations and offers time off for volunteering, aligning personal values with professional life.
LinkedIn’s interview process
LinkedIn’s interview process is structured to assess your technical expertise, problem-solving ability, communication skills, and cultural fit. Most candidates go through 4–6 stages, with the entire process typically spanning 4–8 weeks, depending on the role and team.
Recruiters maintain regular communication through emails, InMails, or calls. While detailed feedback isn’t always guaranteed, they’re approachable and may offer insights to help you improve or prepare for future rounds.
Step 1: Application and recruiter screen
Objective: To assess initial alignment with LinkedIn’s role requirements, team needs, and company values.
You can apply to LinkedIn via:
- The LinkedIn Careers portal
- Internal referrals from current employees
- University recruiting (for internships and entry-level roles)
- Direct outreach from LinkedIn recruiters via the platform
After your resume is shortlisted, a recruiter will reach out to:
- Understand your background and current role.
- Confirm your interest and preferred role/domain.
- Walk you through the upcoming interview steps and timeline.
Tips
- Tailor your resume to highlight relevant accomplishments and impact.
- Be clear about your preferred teams or domains (e.g., feed, trust, learning, infrastructure).
- Demonstrate alignment with LinkedIn’s mission to connect professionals and create opportunity
Step 2: Hiring manager screen (for non-engineering roles)
Objective: To assess domain knowledge, business thinking, and team alignment for non-technical roles.
What to expect:
- 30–45 minute call with the hiring manager or a senior team member.
- Questions on your past work, problem-solving style, and how you collaborate.
- May include a brief case discussion or a scenario-based question.
Tips:
- Familiarize yourself with the team’s product space (e.g., talent solutions, marketing solutions).
- Share relevant success stories with measurable outcomes.
- Express curiosity about the team’s mission and current challenges.
Step 3: Technical phone screen (for engineering roles)
Objective: To evaluate your core technical and problem-solving skills in a live coding environment.
What to expect:
- 1 round, 45–60 minutes.
- Conducted via CoderPad or a similar collaborative editor.
- 1–2 coding questions (DSA-focused).
- Light discussion on CS fundamentals (data structures, edge cases, etc.).
- May include SQL or scripting if relevant to the role.
Tips:
- Practice coding on platforms like LeetCode and Educative.
- Practice mock interviews on Educative mock interviews.
- Talk through your logic clearly—interviewers value communication.
- Consider edge cases, input constraints, and code correctness.
Step 4: Virtual or on-site interviews
Objective: To evaluate your technical abilities, problem-solving skills, and alignment with LinkedIn’s culture.
What to expect:
- 4–5 rounds in one day (conducted virtually).
- A mix of technical, behavioral, and System Design interviews, depending on the role.
- Interviewers may include software engineers, senior team members, and hiring managers.
Typical format for engineering roles:
- 2–3 coding rounds (medium to hard-level problems)
- 1 behavioral round focused on leadership, collaboration, and values
- 1 System Design round (for mid/senior candidates)
Tips
- For coding: Master patterns like sliding window, graphs, trees, and dynamic programming.
- For design: Be ready to build scalable components and discuss trade-offs.
- For behavioral: Use the STAR method and reflect on LinkedIn’s cultural values.
Step 5: Team matching (for university hires and some general applicants)
Objective: Identify the best-fit team based on your strengths, interests, and current openings.
This step is common for university hires, new grads, or candidates applying through pooled pipelines (e.g., general software engineering roles without a pre-assigned team).
Structure:
- Occurs post-onsite, especially for new grads or pooled candidates.
- You’ll speak with one or more hiring managers from various LinkedIn teams.
- Evaluation focuses on technical skills, domain interest, and personality/team fit.
Tips
- Be honest about your work preferences and career goals.
- Research LinkedIn’s products and recent initiatives.
- Ask thoughtful questions about the team’s roadmap, metrics, and tech stack.
Step 6: Offer and negotiation
Objective: Finalize compensation and prepare for onboarding.
What to expect:
- Offer components typically include:
- Base salary
- Signing bonus (role-dependent)
- Annual bonus tied to company and individual performance
- Microsoft RSUs (vesting over four years)
- Comprehensive benefits and relocation assistance (where applicable)
- Multiple offers may appear if you are matched with more than one team.
Tips
- Benchmark using Levels.fyi, Blind, and peers.
- Highlight competing offers or geographic cost-of-living to negotiate.
- Clarify growth paths—LinkedIn follows Microsoft’s career framework (e.g., SWE II → Senior SWE → Staff).
💰 Negotiating your offer? Check out Educative’s guide to salary negotiation for actionable tips on evaluating and countering software developer offers with confidence.
Tips and best practices for success
- Preparation resources: Use Cracking the Coding Interview, Elements of Programming Interviews, and the “LinkedIn Interview” track on Interviewing.io.
- Mock interviews: Practice aloud, focusing on communication as much as code.
- Avoid common pitfalls: Under-communicating, ignoring edge cases, and skipping behavioral prep.
- Recovery strategies: If you’re stuck, verbalize your thought process, request clarification, and suggest approaches—even partial credit shows resilience.
- Following up: Within 24 hours, send a concise thank-you email reiterating your excitement and summarizing a memorable discussion point.
Recommended resources
- Grokking the Coding Interview Patterns: Master 24 patterns to solve most algorithm questions efficiently.
- Grokking the System Design Interview: Learn to design scalable systems like LinkedIn’s feed, messaging, and the people-you-may-know graph.
- Grokking the Low-Level Design Interview Using OOD Principles: A battle-tested guide to Object-Oriented Design Interviews, developed by FAANG engineers. Master OOD fundamentals and practice real-world interview questions.
- LinkedIn Engineering Blog: Deep dive into infrastructure, AI/ML, security, and developer tools. This blog, written by LinkedIn engineers, offers a goldmine for understanding the company’s tech stack and engineering priorities.
- Life at LinkedIn: Offers a behind-the-scenes look at culture, values, ERGs, employee experiences, and DEI initiatives. Great for preparing for behavioral interviews and understanding what “culture fit” means at LinkedIn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the LinkedIn interview process typically take?
The process usually takes 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the role and team. It may be shorter for internships or longer for senior and niche roles.
Does LinkedIn require a coding assessment for every engineering role?
Online assessments are mostly for new grads, internships, or entry-level roles. Experienced candidates typically start with a recruiter screen followed by technical interviews.
What programming languages can I use in the coding interviews?
LinkedIn allows common programming languages like Python, Java, C++, and JavaScript during coding rounds. Choose the one you’re most comfortable and efficient with.
What’s the interview format for non-engineering roles at LinkedIn?
Non-technical roles usually include a recruiter screen, behavioral interviews, a case study or presentation, and a final round with the hiring manager. The process focuses on business acumen, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Can I apply to multiple roles at LinkedIn at the same time?
Yes, but it’s best to tailor each application to the specific role. Avoid submitting generic résumés—show alignment with the job description and LinkedIn’s mission in each one.
Company Interview Process
