Be ready to go over:

• Language Mechanics – Deep familiarity with your primary language (such as Java garbage collection, class loading, or asynchronous execution models).
• Database Internals – Indexing strategies, query execution plans, and transaction isolation levels.
• API Design RESTful principles, payload structure, error handling, and versioning strategies.

Example scenarios:

• Explaining exactly what happens under the hood when a microservice receives an HTTP POST request to update a member's reward balance.
• Walk through the step-by-step execution of a complex SQL query and how you would optimize it if it was locking database tables.

System Architecture & Scalability

For mid-to-senior roles, you will be evaluated on your ability to design systems that are resilient, scalable, and maintainable. The focus here is on real-world retail and e-commerce challenges, such as handling sudden traffic spikes during major gear sales.

Be ready to go over:

• Microservices Design – Decomposing monolithic applications into independent, domain-driven services.
• Event-Driven Architecture – Utilizing message queues (like Kafka or RabbitMQ) to decouple systems.
• Resiliency Patterns – Implementing circuit breakers, retries, and rate limiting to protect downstream services.

Example scenarios:

• Designing a highly available shopping cart system that persists state across multiple user sessions and devices.
• Architecture of a real-time inventory tracking system that syncs physical store stock with the online e-commerce platform.

As a Software Engineer at REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.), your day-to-day work will directly impact the digital products that connect members with their outdoor passions. You will be embedded within an agile product squad, collaborating closely with product managers, UX designers, QA engineers, and fellow developers.

Your primary technical responsibility is to design, develop, test, and deploy high-quality software. This involves writing clean, well-tested code, participating in thorough peer code reviews, and maintaining robust CI/CD pipelines. Because REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) is continuously modernizing its tech stack, you will often find yourself migrating legacy systems to modern, cloud-native microservices, optimizing database performance, and enhancing API integrations.

Beyond individual coding tasks, you will actively contribute to technical planning and architectural discussions. You will help define the technical roadmap for your team, identify tech debt that needs addressing, and collaborate with adjacent teams to ensure seamless system integrations. For mid-to-senior engineers, mentoring junior team members and promoting engineering best practices are also core expectations of the role.

To be competitive for a Software Engineer position at REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.), you should possess a strong foundation in modern software development practices, a collaborative spirit, and a passion for engineering excellence.

• Must-have skills – Strong proficiency in modern object-oriented programming (such as Java, C#, or Python), solid understanding of relational databases (such as PostgreSQL or MySQL), experience building and consuming RESTful APIs, and familiarity with unit testing frameworks.
• Nice-to-have skills – Experience with cloud platforms (specifically AWS), knowledge of containerization tools (like Docker and Kubernetes), familiarity with event-driven architectures, and experience working in an e-commerce or retail domain.
• Experience level – Typically 2+ years of professional software engineering experience for mid-level roles, with a proven track record of delivering production-grade software in an agile environment.
• Soft skills – Excellent verbal and written communication, a proactive approach to problem-solving, a strong desire to collaborate across teams, and a customer-centric mindset.

Q: How technical do the interviews get at REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.)? A: While the initial coding questions and whiteboard exercises are generally straightforward and focus on practical problem-solving, the team interviews can become highly technical. Be prepared to explain your architectural choices and coding logic at a granular, step-by-step level.

Q: What is the culture like within the engineering team? A: The culture is highly collaborative, friendly, and supportive. The co-op prioritizes work-life balance, team cohesion, and mutual respect. It is an environment where ego is left at the door, and pair programming and team-building are actively encouraged.

Q: How long does the entire interview process typically take? A: The timeline can vary, but a typical process takes between three to six weeks from the initial recruiter screen to a final offer. Some candidates have experienced rapid turnarounds within a week, while others may experience longer wait times between stages.

Q: Is there a take-home coding assignment? A: Yes, many teams utilize a take-home coding exercise as an intermediate step. You are typically given around seven days to complete it, allowing you to showcase your coding standards, testing practices, and architectural design in a low-pressure environment.

To maximize your chances of securing an offer at REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.), keep these practical, insider tips in mind throughout your preparation:

• Be specific about the role details: Some candidates have noted that online job descriptions do not always perfectly align with the daily realities of the team. Do not hesitate to ask highly specific questions during your hiring manager screen about the exact tech stack, daily responsibilities, and team expectations.
• Practice step-by-step explanations: When describing your past projects or answering technical questions, practice breaking down the process into granular steps. Avoid skipping over the details of how data flows through your services or how memory is managed.
• Showcase your collaborative nature: Use "we" in addition to "I" when discussing past achievements. Emphasize how you worked with your team to overcome challenges, mentored others, or aligned with product stakeholders.
• Perfect your "Why REI?" story: Do not treat this as a generic behavioral question. Spend time researching the co-op's unique business model, its community initiatives, and why its mission resonates with you personally. An authentic connection to the co-op's values is a major differentiator.
• Don't neglect database fundamentals: Be prepared to discuss database design, indexing, and query optimization, as many teams at REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) manage large datasets related to inventory, members, and transactions.

Securing a Software Engineer role at REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) is an exciting opportunity to use your technical skills to build platforms that encourage people to explore and enjoy the outdoors. The co-op offers a unique engineering environment that balances technical challenge with a supportive, collaborative, and mission-driven culture.

To stand out, focus your preparation on core programming fundamentals, practical system design, and clear, granular communication. Show the interviewers that you are not only a highly competent developer but also a great teammate who aligns with the co-op's values. By treating the interview as a collaborative dialogue and demonstrating your technical depth, you can position yourself for success.

For more detailed candidate insights, interview experiences, and salary data to help you prepare, explore the additional resources available on Dataford.

The salary data shown above represents typical compensation ranges for software engineering professionals. At REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.), total compensation packages generally include a competitive base salary, performance-related bonuses, and unique co-op benefits, including gear discounts and outdoor grants. Use this data to help guide your compensation expectations and discussions during the offer negotiation stage.