Interview Preparation
The core of this site: a structured preparation path for backend and distributed-systems engineers targeting mid-to-senior big-tech roles.
Start Here
- Plan: Complete Senior Backend Interview Prep — the 12-week roadmap covering resume, coding, system design, behavioral, AI coding, and mock interviews.
Behavioral
Frameworks for leadership stories, senior-level signals, and interview communication.
- Framework: The Behavioral Interview for Senior+
- Framework: Structuring Leadership Stories for Behavioral Rounds
- Guide: Meta Signals Decoded
- Guide: The Project Management Interview for Engineers
Browse all behavioral resources →
Coding
Preparation for algorithm interviews, AI-native coding rounds, and company-specific expectations.
- Guide: The FAANG Coding Round — Mid to Senior Level
- List: LeetCode for FAANG Loops — Mid to Senior
- Guide: The AI-Native Coding Interview
- Guide: Amazon’s Logical & Maintainable Coding Interview
System Design
A dependency-ordered system design curriculum: concepts, walkthroughs, and mock questions built around how senior backend interviews actually progress.
- Plan: 9-Week System Design Interview Prep — the week-by-week roadmap into the full system design library.
- Framework: Thinking About Tradeoffs in System Design — the four-step reasoning process (axes → context → cost → commit) that senior rounds actually score.
- Reference: Common System Design Decisions — a fast-lookup catalog of the recurring choices, each with a default and when to switch.
Browse all system design resources →
Career Development
Resources for long-term growth beyond the next interview loop.
Growth & Promotion
- Framework: Scope, Impact, Visibility — The Three-Axis Promotion Model
- Framework: Aligning Projects With Your Next-Level Goal
- Guide: Finding Projects That Enrich Your Resume
- Guide: Surviving a Full Interview Loop with ADHD
- List: Papers Backend Engineers Should Read
The AI Transition
- Plan: 90-Day AI Ramp for Backend Engineers
- Plan: Transitioning to Machine Learning Engineer
- Plan: Transitioning to AI Infrastructure Engineer
- Framework: What’s Durable vs What’s Hype — A Backend Engineer’s AI Investment Guide
- Framework: The AI/ML System Design Interview — What’s Different
- Guide: Using AI Coding Tools Without Getting Worse
- Guide: Building a Real LLM Project for Your Resume
Browse all career development resources →
Opportunities Outside Work
Ideas and frameworks for building leverage outside the employer relationship.