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This article explains what to expect during an engineering interview at Trimble Maps.
Some context: software engineers at Trimble Maps write code, analyze code, perform code reviews, debug code, optimize code, and maintain code. The role is quite focused on working within either a new or an existing code base. Attempting to simulate the daily work experience, the interviews will include coding exercises.
We actually make maps and products with maps in them.
In the context of a coding exercise, the interviewers are simply looking to understand your problem solving strategy. There is no expectation that you solve the problem in a few minutes, nor on your first try — that’s not always how coding works anyway. Equally important is your persistence through the obstacles you encounter. Finally, we love to see your insistence on testing the solution thoroughly.
Tips for successful interviews are no different from success in every day work:
- Simplify. Avoid over-complexity. We like to see a functional solution before an optimal solution. We like to see a working and verbose solution, before the super clever, super-optimized, recursive, non-solution. If the problem is simple, then keep it simple.
- Iterate. Get the basics working and tested first. Avoid writing 20 lines of code before even one line of code is known to be working.
- Persist. It may be that you do not immediately see a solution at all. It happens all the time in reality. Ask questions, think out loud, use a pen and paper. It may eventually happen that you have 90% working but there is a bug. Isolate the problem with logging. Step through the problem manually. Think about the base test cases.
Simplify. Iterate. Persist. These things are all at the core of our engineering philosophy. They will carry you through a coding interview, as well as your everyday work as a developer at Trimble Maps.
Beyond coding, there may be discussion on how to build a software system or how to solve a larger problem. The interview will likely touch on your basic knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and data storage technologies too.
Beyond technical talk, our goal is to get to know you well; your talents, your career aspirations, your main interests, your personality, and your background. What makes you unique? This ultimately allows us to place you in the best possible team. We work on a diverse set of products and technologies. We always look hard for the ideal intersection of our business and team needs, with your interests, your skills and your experience.
Because of our diversity of products, technologies, and people, Trimble Maps is a great place to work as a developer. From day one your work will impact our team, our business, and our customers. You can bet on that. Hope to see you soon!
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