LinkedIn Interview Guide
Company GuideLast checked Nov 2026
LinkedIn runs a centralized loop: interviewers usually come from outside the team you'll join, and team matching follows a passed loop. A recruiter call and a coding screen lead to an onsite of about five interviews across coding, system design, a deep dive on a past project, and behavioral. A hiring committee reviews the scores and decides on the hire and the level.
How LinkedIn Hires
- Each onsite round is scored on a four-point scale where 3 passes. A borderline total can add an extra interview in design or algorithms.
- The technical communication round is a deep dive into one project you built: its architecture, your role, and the tradeoffs you made.
- Phone screens often have two interviewers, one leading and one shadowing, and cover two or three problems of rising size.
- Specialized roles such as mobile or front end can add a domain coding round to the onsite.
- Titles start higher than on some ladders. New grads usually join as Software Engineer (IC2), many experienced hires join as Senior Software Engineer (IC3), and Staff (IC4) spans a wide range of scope.
- After the committee approves, hiring managers pitch their teams. Onsite results stay valid for about a year if matching takes time.
Loops by Level
- LinkedIn IC2 LoopJuniorSoftware EngineerIC2 is LinkedIn's usual new grad level, and coding carries the decision. Interviewers look for strong fundamentals and clean, tested code, and design questions, where they appear, are held to an entry-level bar.See the Rounds
- LinkedIn IC3 LoopSeniorSenior Software EngineerMost experienced hires join at IC3, and design carries most of the level decision. The system design round and the technical communication deep dive both need to show ownership of a system end to end, and strong coding with a thin design tends to land at IC2.See the Rounds
- LinkedIn IC4 LoopStaffStaff Software EngineerIC4 loops keep the senior shape with more weight on design, the project deep dive, and leadership. The step from IC3 to IC4 is a large one, and a loop that shows single-team scope tends to land at IC3.See the Rounds
Sources
Last checked Nov 2026. Loops vary by team and change over time, so confirm the details with your recruiter.