IBM Software Engineer interview experience

Instead, the process was a three-day hackathon in San Francisco. I was judged on my contributions plus how I presented what I built.

That cohort-style format meant the evaluation was happening continuously—day-to-day progress and teamwork mattered as much as the final story. It was also different from a traditional technical interview because the emphasis was on creating something and communicating it under time pressure.

I ended up receiving an offer after the hackathon. Looking back, I liked how the work itself was the evidence, not just answers on a screen, even if it put a lot of