Mastering the Machine Learning Interview at BetterUp: Insights from a Challenging Panel Round

BetterUp | Machine Learning Engineer | Interview Experience

Interview Date: Not specified
Result: Rejected
Difficulty: Not specified

Interview Process

I recently completed a virtual panel round consisting of three parts. The first round lasted one and a half hours and included a combination of machine learning scenario discussion and live coding. The focus was on framing a business problem and translating it into a machine learning objective. During this round, I was required to perform data wrangling, but there was not enough time to build a model. Finally, I presented the results and production considerations, with the option to use a large language model for assistance.

The next two rounds, referred to as the “Balloon round,” were each one hour long and centered around behavioral storytelling. I prepared for these rounds similarly to how one would for interviews at Meta or Amazon. Prior to these rounds, I had a screening with the hiring manager that lasted about 45 minutes to an hour, where we discussed background-related questions along with some hypothetical machine learning scenarios.

Technical Questions

  1. Business understanding (machine learning, data wrangling)

Tips & Insights

I believe I may not have met the coding expectations of the interviewers. It’s important to thoroughly prepare for both technical and behavioral aspects of the interview process.