Adyen Interview Experience - February 2025

Application Process

I applied for the role via the Adyen careers page. At the time of applying, I had over 4 years of experience working with Java, Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, Kafka, etc. Im currently working at a digital banking company in Hyderabad.

Round 1: HR Screening (15 Minutes - Zoom Call)

This was an introductory round with an HR representative. The discussion included:

• Overview of the hiring process.
• My interest in Adyen and reasons for considering international relocation.
• How my experience aligns with the role.
• A brief discussion on the interview rounds and compensation details.

Round 2: Hackerrank Assessment (3 Hours)

This round consisted of 5 questions:

• SQL (3 Questions): Focused on JOINs and GROUP BY. One question was straightforward, while the other two ranged from easy to medium difficulty based on SQL experience.
• Java (2 Questions):
  1. Implementation-Based Question: Provided with an interface, I had to implement a solution to check whether a card was used more than X times in the last X hours.
  2. OOP-Based Question: Required implementing and extending classes based on a given skeleton code and fixing test cases.

I successfully cleared this round.

Round 3: Technical Discussion (Zoom Call - Team Assessment)

This was a virtual discussion with two team members, assessing:

• My work experience and technical expertise.
• Adaptability to work outside my current tech stack.
• Problem-solving approaches.
• Handling conflicts when working with interdependent teams or companies.
• My learning mindset and ability to explore new technologies.

Round 4: Technical Review & System Design Discussion (Zoom Call - Backend Engineers)

This round was conducted by two backend engineers and involved:

• Code Review: Reviewing my Hackerrank assessment solutions, explaining my approach, and discussing possible improvements.
• Scalability & System Design: How the solution would work in real-time, expected design changes, and scalability improvements.
• Concurrency & Security:
  • General Java concurrency concepts.
  • Handling personal data security: Hashing vs. Encryption and when to use each.
• Problem-Solving Approach: The interviewers asked questions to check my ability to tackle new problems, evaluate trade-offs, and improve solutions.

I used the STAR methodology (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to explain my thought process. The interviewers seemed satisfied with my responses.

Final Outcome

After three days, I received a rejection email stating:

"While assessing the interview, we evaluated fairly your relevant level of experience and potential to grow in the company. We were also eager to hear about what it is you are looking for in your next job or what you are missing so we can be in a position to offer something interesting for both parties.

Keeping this in mind, we unfortunately have decided not to proceed any further with your application at this stage."

Offer & Compensation Details

• The offered salary was €40,000 - €50,000 for my experience level (4+ years).
• The location was Madrid, Spain.
• Adyen would process the visa sponsorship.

Overall Experience

Despite the rejection, this was a great learning experience.