Success in the Erie Insurance Group hiring process requires a balanced preparation strategy. You must demonstrate solid technical fundamentals while showing that you are an empathetic, collaborative team player who communicates clearly.

Technical Competency – You must have a strong grasp of Object-Oriented Programming, particularly in Java, and familiarity with enterprise application frameworks. Be ready to explain your experience with databases, version control, and development environments.

Teamwork & Collaboration – Interviewers place an incredibly high premium on how you work with others. You should prepare multiple behavioral stories that highlight your ability to collaborate, resolve conflicts constructively, and support your teammates.

Communication & Alignment – You need to articulate why you want to build a career at Erie Insurance Group. Showing a genuine interest in their business, their values, and their community-oriented culture will set you apart from other candidates.

The interview process at Erie Insurance Group is structured to evaluate your technical skills, behavioral alignment, and collaborative coding abilities. It progresses from initial automated or HR screenings to deep-dive technical panels and collaborative sessions.

The journey begins with an initial screening. Depending on the specific team and role level, this may involve an asynchronous, recorded video interview where you answer behavioral questions and discuss your background and past projects. This is typically followed by a conversation with a human resources representative or recruiter to discuss your career goals, motivations, and basic qualifications.

If you pass the initial screens, you will move on to technical and team interviews. This often involves a video call or an on-site panel interview with multiple team members, including supervisors, senior engineers, and sometimes former interns who have transitioned to full-time roles. This panel uses a round-robin format to ask a mix of technical, situational, and behavioral questions. For onsite loops, you can also expect a collaborative coding session where you work side-by-side with developers to solve a problem, allowing them to evaluate your real-time communication, coding practices, and teamwork.

The visual timeline above outlines the typical progression of the Software Engineer interview loop. Candidates should use this to pace their preparation, ensuring they focus heavily on behavioral storytelling in the early stages before diving deep into technical and collaborative coding practice. While the exact timeline can vary based on role seniority and location, the transition from screening to collaborative evaluation remains a consistent theme.

To excel in your interviews, you must understand exactly what the hiring panel is looking for across their primary evaluation areas.

Core Technical Execution

This area evaluates your foundational software engineering skills, your familiarity with enterprise tech stacks, and your ability to write clean, maintainable code.

Be ready to go over:

• Object-Oriented Design – Deep understanding of classes, inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, and design patterns in Java.
• Enterprise Frameworks – Experience or familiarity with enterprise systems like Guidewire or Spring Boot.
• Database & SQL Fundamentals – Writing efficient queries, understanding relational database design, and managing data integrity.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – CI/CD pipeline integration, cloud deployment basics, and legacy modernization strategies.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk us through how you would design a basic database schema for a policy management system."
• "Explain the difference between an abstract class and an interface, and when you would use each in a Java application."
• "How do you ensure your code is thoroughly tested before it is deployed to a production environment?"

Collaborative Problem Solving

During the coding and technical panel stages, the team wants to see how you think, communicate, and write code in real-time alongside other engineers.

Be ready to go over:

• Pair Programming Dynamics – How you share ideas, accept feedback, and co-create solutions with another developer.
• Code Readability & Standards – Writing clean, self-documenting code with proper naming conventions and structure.
• Incremental Development – Breaking down a larger problem into smaller, testable steps rather than trying to write the entire solution at once.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Let's work together to write a function that parses and filters a list of customer transactions based on specific business rules."
• "We have a bug in this small block of code. Let's debug it together and discuss the best way to refactor it for better performance."

Behavioral & Cultural Alignment

This evaluation area focuses on your interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and alignment with the service-oriented values of Erie Insurance Group.

Be ready to go over:

• Team Dynamics – Your experiences working in cross-functional teams and supporting your peers.
• Conflict Resolution – How you handle disagreements over technical decisions or project direction.
• Empathy & Service Mindset – Demonstrating a customer-first perspective and a supportive attitude toward colleagues.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time when a teammate disagreed with your technical approach. How did you handle the situation and reach a resolution?"
• "Describe a time when you went above and beyond to help a teammate or solve a problem for a user."

As a Software Engineer at Erie Insurance Group, your daily work will revolve around delivering high-quality software solutions that support business operations. You will spend a significant portion of your time writing, testing, and debugging code within an agile development environment. Depending on your team assignment, you may work on configuring and extending core insurance platforms like Guidewire, building integrations, or developing custom internal tools.

Collaboration is a daily requirement. You will participate in stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospective meetings. You will work closely with business analysts to understand complex insurance requirements and translate them into technical specifications. Additionally, you will partner with quality assurance professionals to ensure that your code meets rigorous stability and security standards before deployment.

Senior engineers in this role also take on responsibilities related to system architecture, mentoring junior developers, and participating in code reviews to maintain high engineering standards across the department. Regardless of your level, you will be expected to take ownership of your deliverables and actively contribute to continuous improvement within your team.

The qualifications required for a Software Engineer position at Erie Insurance Group depend on the seniority of the role, but the foundational expectations remain consistent.

• Must-have skills – Strong proficiency in Java or another major object-oriented language, solid understanding of relational databases (SQL), and experience with standard development tools (such as Git, Maven, or modern IDEs).
• Nice-to-have skills – Experience with Guidewire (PolicyCenter, BillingCenter, or ClaimCenter), cloud platforms (AWS or Azure), enterprise integration patterns, and modern CI/CD practices.
• Experience level – For entry-to-mid-level roles, a degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience (including internships or bootcamps). For senior or director-level roles, several years of enterprise development experience, system design expertise, and a proven track record of technical leadership.
• Soft skills – Exceptional communication skills, a highly collaborative mindset, strong problem-solving abilities, and a service-oriented attitude.

Q: How technical is the interview process compared to big tech companies? A: The technical bar is solid, but the focus is different. Rather than testing you on highly complex, theoretical competitive programming algorithms, Erie Insurance Group focuses on practical software engineering, clean coding practices, system design, and collaborative problem-solving.

Q: What is the company culture like for engineers? A: The culture is highly supportive, stable, and collaborative. It is less about intense, high-stress delivery cycles and more about sustainable engineering, high-quality work, and mutual respect among team members.

Q: How long does the hiring process typically take? A: The timeline can vary. While some candidates experience a smooth, multi-week progression, others have noted that recruiter communication can occasionally take longer. It is best to remain proactive and follow up if you do not hear back within a week of an interview step.

Q: Are there remote or hybrid work options for Software Engineers? A: Yes, Erie Insurance Group offers hybrid work models depending on the team and location, though many engineering roles are centered around their main campus in Erie, PA. You should clarify the specific hybrid or onsite expectations for your target team early in the recruitment process.

To maximize your chances of success, keep these practical, insider tips in mind as you prepare:

• Emphasize Teamwork Over Solo Heroics: When answering behavioral questions, focus on "we" rather than just "I." Highlight how you supported your team, shared knowledge, and contributed to a positive group dynamic.
• Research the Business: Showing that you understand how an insurance company operates and how technology drives policy management and claims processing will immediately set you apart from candidates who only focus on code.
• Be Prepared for Asynchronous Formats: If your initial screen is a recorded video session, practice speaking clearly to a camera, keeping your answers structured (using the STAR method), and managing your time effectively.

• Show Pride in Your Projects: Whether discussing a school project, an open-source contribution, or a past professional delivery, speak with enthusiasm about the technical challenges you faced, how you solved them, and what you learned from the experience.

Securing a Software Engineer role at Erie Insurance Group is an exciting opportunity to build a stable, impactful career with a company that genuinely values its employees and community. The engineering team offers a collaborative environment where you can work on large-scale enterprise systems, modernize legacy platforms, and solve practical business challenges using modern technology.

As you finalize your preparation, ensure you have a balanced approach. Dedicate time to reviewing core Java and object-oriented programming concepts, but do not neglect your behavioral preparation. Craft strong, clear stories that highlight your teamwork, adaptability, and communication skills. Approach your collaborative coding sessions as joint problem-solving exercises rather than high-stakes tests, and show the interviewers that you are someone they would enjoy working alongside every day.

The salary ranges shown above represent the broad spectrum of engineering opportunities at Erie Insurance Group, ranging from senior individual contributor roles to high-level technical leadership and director positions. When preparing your compensation expectations, consider your experience level, the specific technical requirements of the role (such as specialized Guidewire expertise), and the comprehensive benefits package that accompanies employment at Erie Insurance Group. For more detailed salary insights, interview prep resources, and candidate experiences, you can explore additional tools on Dataford.