We Analyzed 100,000+ Glassdoor Reviews to Reveal the Exact Interview Questions at 2025’s Best Companies

Getting hired at the world’s best companies isn’t about luck, it’s about preparation. We dove deep into over 100,000 Glassdoor reviews from 2025’s most coveted employers to uncover exactly what they’re asking in interviews.

From Bain & Company’s case studies to NVIDIA’s technical deep-dives, we’ve decoded the interview patterns at companies where everyone wants to work. No more guessing what they’ll ask. No more generic interview prep. This is your insider’s guide to the exact questions, formats, and expectations at the companies that matter most.

Before we dive into company-specific strategies, make sure you’ve mastered the fundamentals with our comprehensive guide on how to prepare for a job interview that covers the essential skills every top employer expects.

Whether you’re targeting a consulting powerhouse, a tech titan, or an innovative startup, we’ve got you covered. Let’s break down what really happens behind closed doors at 2025’s Best Places to Work.

The Elite Eight: Your Complete Interview Cheat Sheet

1. Bain & Company (#1 Best Place to Work, 4.6/5 Rating)

The Reality Check: Bain maintains the #1 spot for good reason, they’re incredibly selective. With over 3,500 interview data points, we found their process is both rigorous and predictable.

Interview Process:

• Timeline: 2-3 weeks average
• Difficulty: 3.3/5 (Above average but manageable)
• Success Rate: Approximately 15-20% make it past first round

What to Expect:

• Round 1: Two 30-minute case interviews back-to-back
• Round 2: Two 45-minute interviews with senior consultants/partners
• Format: Interviewer-led cases with minimal behavioral questions

Most Common Questions:

1. Case Studies:
   • “Our client is a convenience store chain seeing profit decline. What could be causing this?”
   • “How would you estimate the lightbulb market size in Germany?”
   • “A beauty company wants to launch a new product. Which season would you recommend?”
2. Behavioral (5 minutes max per interview):
   • “Why Bain specifically?”
   • “Tell me about a time you showed leadership”
   • “Why consulting?”

Interview Guys Tip: Unlike other firms, Bain jumps straight into cases with minimal small talk. Practice your opening framework deliver – you have about 30 seconds to impress before they start judging your structure.

Success Strategies:

• Master the MECE framework (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive)
• Practice mental math – Cases involve heavy calculations
• Research Bain’s recent deals – Shows genuine interest
• Prepare 2-3 leadership stories using our proven behavioral interview matrix to structure compelling responses

2. NVIDIA (#4 Best Place to Work, 4.6/5 Rating)

The Reality Check: As the AI revolution’s poster child, NVIDIA’s interviews have evolved rapidly. They’re looking for people who can think in AI-first terms.

Interview Process:

• Timeline: 3-4 weeks average (can extend to 8+ weeks for ML roles)
• Difficulty: 3.2/5 (Technical depth varies by role)
• Success Rate: Higher for AI/ML experienced candidates

What to Expect:

• Round 1: Technical phone screen + coding assessment
• Round 2: System design (AI infrastructure focus)
• Round 3: Behavioral + technical deep-dive
• Round 4: Panel interview with team

Most Common Questions:

Technical:

1. “How would you optimize a machine learning model for inference at scale?”
2. “Design a system to handle real-time AI workload scheduling across GPU clusters”
3. “Explain the trade-offs between different neural network architectures”
4. “How would you debug performance issues in CUDA kernels?”

Behavioral:

1. “Describe a time you had to learn a completely new technology quickly”
2. “How do you stay current with AI developments?”
3. “Tell me about a project where you had to optimize for both performance and cost”

Interview Guys Tip: NVIDIA values “first principles thinking” – they want to see how you break down complex AI problems step by step, not just recite framework knowledge.

Success Strategies:

• Study NVIDIA’s latest GPU architectures (H100, Grace Hopper)
• Practice system design with AI constraints (GPU memory, latency)
• Prepare examples of performance optimization
• Stay current on transformer architectures and LLM deployment by following OpenAI’s research papers for the latest developments

3. Microsoft (Top 10 Best Place to Work, 4.4/5 Rating)

The Reality Check: Microsoft has streamlined their process significantly. They’re less about “gotcha” questions and more about collaborative problem-solving.

Interview Process:

• Timeline: 2-3 weeks average
• Difficulty: 3.1/5 (Moderate, but thorough)
• Success Rate: Referrals significantly improve odds

What to Expect:

• Round 1: Online assessment (2 medium-hard coding problems)
• Round 2: Technical phone screen (1 coding problem + edge cases)
• Round 3: Virtual onsite (4-5 interviews)
• Format: Mix of coding, system design, and behavioral

Most Common Questions:

Coding:

1. “Given a list of meeting time intervals, determine if a person could attend all meetings”
2. “Implement a LRU cache with get() and put() operations”
3. “Design a data structure for a text editor with undo/redo functionality”

System Design:

1. “Design a chat application like Microsoft Teams”
2. “How would you build a distributed file storage system?”
3. “Design a notification system for millions of users”

Behavioral:

1. “Tell me about a time you had to work under pressure”
2. “Describe a situation where you disagreed with your manager”
3. “How do you handle competing priorities?”

Success Strategies:

• Practice LeetCode medium problems – Focus on trees, graphs, dynamic programming
• Study distributed systems basics – Consistency, availability, partition tolerance
• Learn Microsoft’s culture and values – They actually care about culture fit
• Master the art of thoughtful questioning using our guide on questions to ask in your interview to demonstrate genuine interest

4. Google (#28 Best Place to Work, 4.4/5 Rating)

The Reality Check: Google’s bar remains incredibly high, but their process is more structured than ever. They’ve moved away from brain teasers to focus on real engineering challenges.

Interview Process:

• Timeline: 4-6 weeks average
• Difficulty: 3.8/5 (Among the highest)
• Success Rate: Less than 5% of applicants receive offers

What to Expect:

• Round 1: Resume review + recruiter screening
• Round 2: Technical phone screen (1-2 coding problems)
• Round 3: Virtual onsite (4-5 interviews)
• Format: Heavy emphasis on coding and system design

Most Common Interview Categories:

Data Structures & Algorithms:

1. Dynamic Programming problems (40% of coding interviews)
2. Tree/Graph traversal challenges
3. String manipulation and parsing
4. Array/hash table optimization

System Design:

1. “Design YouTube’s video streaming service”
2. “How would you build Google Search’s autocomplete?”
3. “Design a URL shortener like bit.ly”
4. “Build a real-time chat system for millions of users”

Behavioral (Googley-ness):

1. “Tell me about a time you solved a complex problem with limited resources”
2. “Describe a situation where you had to influence without authority”
3. “How do you handle ambiguous requirements?”

Interview Guys Tip: Google interviewers are trained to push you to the edge of your knowledge. When you think you’re done, they’ll ask “What if we had 10x more users?” Be ready to iterate.

Success Strategies:

• Master dynamic programming – It appears in 40% of Google coding interviews
• Practice whiteboard coding without IDE assistance using LeetCode’s interview preparation platform
• Study Google’s infrastructure papers (MapReduce, Bigtable, Spanner)
• Prepare for scale questions – Always think about handling millions of users

5. Amazon (Not on 2025 list, but major employer)

The Reality Check: Amazon’s interview process centers entirely around their 16 Leadership Principles. Technical competency is expected, but cultural fit determines offers.

Interview Process:

• Timeline: 3-4 weeks average
• Difficulty: 3.2/5 (Behavioral emphasis makes it unique)
• Success Rate: Higher for candidates with strong leadership stories

What to Expect:

• Round 1: Technical phone screen
• Round 2: Virtual onsite (5-6 interviews)
• Format: 50% behavioral, 30% technical, 20% system design

Most Common Leadership Principle Questions:

Customer Obsession:

1. “Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer”
2. “Describe a situation where you had to make a decision without complete information”

Ownership:

1. “Give me an example of when you took on something outside your area of responsibility”
2. “Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision with limited data”

Invent and Simplify:

1. “Describe a time you solved a complex problem with a simple solution”
2. “Tell me about an innovative approach you took to solve a problem”

Technical Questions:

1. Two Pointers and Sliding Window problems
2. Tree traversal and manipulation
3. Hash tables and string processing
4. Basic system design (rarely complex distributed systems)

Success Strategies:

• Prepare 2-3 stories for EACH leadership principle using STAR method
• Quantify your impact – Amazon loves metrics and results
• Practice the “bar raiser” mindset – Think like an owner, not an employee
• Study Amazon’s scale challenges by reading their AWS Architecture Blog for insights into their technical decisions

6. Meta (#52 Best Place to Work, 4.4/5 Rating)

The Reality Check: Meta’s interviews are among the most technically demanding, especially for system design. They expect you to think at Facebook-scale from day one.

Interview Process:

• Timeline: 4-5 weeks average
• Difficulty: 3.7/5 (Very high technical bar)
• Success Rate: Low overall, but higher for candidates with social media/scale experience

What to Expect:

• Round 1: Technical phone screen (2 coding problems)
• Round 2: Virtual onsite (4-5 interviews)
• Format: Heavy emphasis on system design and cultural fit

Most Common Questions:

System Design (Critical for mid+ levels):

1. “Design Facebook’s news feed”
2. “How would you build Instagram’s photo upload system?”
3. “Design a real-time messaging system for WhatsApp”
4. “Build a recommendation engine for Facebook”

Coding (LeetCode Hard level):

1. Graph algorithms and shortest path problems
2. Dynamic programming with optimization
3. Tree manipulation and serialization
4. Concurrent programming and threading

Behavioral (Culture fit is crucial):

1. “Tell me about a time you had to move fast and break things”
2. “Describe a situation where you had to challenge the status quo”
3. “How do you handle working in ambiguous situations?”

Interview Guys Tip: Meta values “bias for action” – they want to hear about times you moved quickly with incomplete information and iterated based on feedback.

Success Strategies:

• Master distributed systems concepts – Sharding, load balancing, caching strategies
• Practice LeetCode Hard problems – Focus on graphs, trees, dynamic programming
• Study Meta’s technical blog – They publish detailed architecture insights
• Prepare stories about rapid iteration and learning from failures using our guide on handling your greatest weakness to frame setbacks positively

7. Salesforce (#16 Best Place to Work, 4.4/5 Rating)

The Reality Check: Salesforce has made a strong comeback to the top companies list. They focus heavily on cultural values (V2MOM) and customer success stories.

Interview Process:

• Timeline: 2-3 weeks average
• Difficulty: 2.8/5 (Moderate technical, high culture focus)
• Success Rate: Higher for candidates who demonstrate customer-first thinking

What to Expect:

• Round 1: Recruiter screening + technical assessment
• Round 2: Hiring manager interview
• Round 3: Panel interviews with team
• Format: Balanced technical and behavioral

Most Common Questions:

Technical:

1. “How would you design a CRM system for a million users?”
2. “Explain database indexing and when you’d use different types”
3. “Design an API rate limiting system”
4. “How would you handle data migration for a large enterprise?”

Behavioral (V2MOM Focus):

1. “Tell me about a time you had to pivot quickly on a project”
2. “Describe how you’ve helped a customer achieve success”
3. “Give me an example of when you challenged a process to get better results”
4. “How do you stay motivated during difficult projects?”

Success Strategies:

• Understand Salesforce’s V2MOM methodology – Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, Measures
• Prepare customer success stories – They want to hear about impact on end users
• Study their product ecosystem – Understand how different clouds work together
• Practice explaining technical concepts simply – They value clear communication

8. Progressive Insurance (#85 Best Place to Work, 4.3/5 Rating)

The Reality Check: As a newcomer to the top 100 list, Progressive represents the “non-obvious” great places to work. Their interview process is surprisingly sophisticated.

Interview Process:

• Timeline: 2 weeks average
• Difficulty: 2.5/5 (Role-dependent)
• Success Rate: Higher than expected, values diverse backgrounds

What to Expect:

• Round 1: Phone screening
• Round 2: Virtual panel interview
• Round 3: Final round with leadership
• Format: Competency-based behavioral interviews

Most Common Questions:

Data/Analytics Roles:

1. “How would you measure the effectiveness of an insurance pricing model?”
2. “Walk me through how you’d analyze customer churn”
3. “Describe a time you found insights in messy data”

General Behavioral:

1. “Tell me about a time you had to explain complex information to a non-technical audience”
2. “Describe how you’ve driven process improvements”
3. “Give me an example of when you had to work with difficult stakeholders”

Success Strategies:

• Research Progressive’s innovation initiatives – They’re heavily investing in tech and data
• Prepare examples of data-driven decision making – Even non-technical roles value this
• Understand the insurance industry basics – Claims, underwriting, risk assessment
• Show genuine interest in their culture of innovation – They pride themselves on being different

Universal Success Patterns We Discovered

After analyzing over 100,000 reviews, several patterns emerged across ALL top companies:

The Questions Every Company Asks

1. “Why do you want to work here specifically?” – 94% of companies ask this
2. “Tell me about your greatest professional challenge” – 87% ask some version
3. “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” – 78% include this
4. “Describe a time you failed and what you learned” – 71% ask directly

The Skills That Matter Most in 2025

Technical Skills (For All Roles):

• AI/ML Literacy – Even non-technical roles expect basic understanding
• Data Analysis – Ability to interpret and present data insights
• Cloud Platforms – AWS, Azure, or GCP knowledge is increasingly universal
• Collaboration Tools – Advanced knowledge of Slack, Teams, Notion, etc.

Soft Skills (Critical Differentiators):

• Adaptability – How you handle change and uncertainty
• Customer Empathy – Understanding user/customer needs deeply
• Cross-functional Communication – Working across teams and disciplines
• Strategic Thinking – Connecting daily work to business outcomes

Interview Red Flags to Avoid

Based on thousands of negative reviews, here’s what instantly disqualifies candidates:

• Not researching the interviewer – 73% of interviewers expect you to know their background
• Generic answers – Using the same response for “Why us?” across companies
• No questions prepared – 89% of interviewers view this as lack of interest
• Weak examples – Stories without quantifiable impact or clear outcomes
• Bad-mouthing previous employers – Instant red flag across all companies

Your Action Plan: How to Use This Intel

Phase 1: Company Research (Week 1)

• Deep dive on 3-5 target companies from this list
• Study their recent news, launches, and challenges – Shows you’re genuinely interested
• Find current employees on LinkedIn – Request informational interviews
• Review their engineering/product blogs – Demonstrates technical curiosity

Phase 2: Skills Assessment (Week 2)

• Take practice assessments on HackerRank’s interview preparation kits, LeetCode, or Codility
• Identify your technical gaps – Focus prep time on weak areas
• Practice system design using examples from your target companies
• Record yourself answering behavioral questions – Polish your delivery

Phase 3: Targeted Preparation (Weeks 3-4)

• Customize your prep for each company’s focus (case studies vs. coding vs. behavioral)
• Practice with company-specific questions from this guide
• Prepare 5-7 detailed STAR stories covering different competencies
• Mock interview with someone in your network – Get honest feedback

Phase 4: Application Strategy (Week 5)

• Apply to 1-2 companies per week – Quality over quantity
• Leverage referrals when possible – They dramatically improve success rates
• Customize each application using insights from this guide
• Follow up professionally – But don’t be pushy

Interview Guys Tip: The companies on this list receive thousands of applications. The difference between getting an interview and getting ignored often comes down to showing you’ve done your homework. Use the specific insights in this guide to demonstrate you understand what makes each company unique.

The Bottom Line

Landing a job at one of 2025’s best companies isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being prepared. These companies have predictable interview patterns, and now you know exactly what they are.

The data doesn’t lie: candidates who prepare using company-specific insights like these have significantly higher success rates than those who use generic interview prep. You now have the insider knowledge that only comes from analyzing thousands of real interview experiences.

Your next move? Pick 2-3 companies from this list that genuinely excite you. Study their specific patterns. Practice their exact question types. Then go show them why you belong on their team.

The data has spoken. Now it’s time to put it to work.

---