Candidates applying for Java Software Developer roles take an average of 90 days to get hired, when considering 2 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Sonar overall takes an average of 33 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Sonar as a Java Software Developer according to 2 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 33%
Skills test: 33%
Background check: 17%
Personality test: 17%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Sonar (Geneva) in Jan 2023
Interview
I had 3 interview rounds with Sonar. The first one was to assess if my profile fit with what they were looking for. Then 2 technical interviews one remote, and one in their office near Geneva's airport. During the visit to their office, I only saw 5 women (including the receptionist) and they were at least 100 people in the office. I asked about how many non male developers are working in the team I interviewed for, and the answer was zero. It is a big team. Diversity is clearly not a priority in Sonar, where most of the developers look quite the same. I did appreciate the constructive feedback they provided, and the nice lunch conversation with developers of the team.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
First technical interview: one easy leet code problem. They want to hear you think out loud and know time and space complexity. Second technical interview: a cli program to analyse some data they provide in a csv file. Don't assume anything, ask a lot of questions, and test your program.
I applied online. I interviewed at Sonar (Geneva) in Nov 2025
Interview
1. Codility Test
2. Initial Video Interview (30mins): A brief conversation with HR representative to discuss your background, goals, and motivations.
3. Technical interview (30 mins): Despite completing the technical interview and leaving the session feeling confident, I was informed at the end of the interview that they would not be moving forward before the scheduled sprint stages began.
4. 2-hour Technical Interview
5. 30-minute Cross-functional Interview
6. 20-minute Final Interview with an Engineering Leader
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Codility:
1. Nails and hammer problem: review code and make max 4 fixes. Hammer down at most K nails (maximize the n of nails that end up having the same length)
2. Remove adjacent pairs (a/b and c/d): CBACD -> CBA -> C
3. Binary reduction to zero: if v is odd, subtract 1, if even, divide it by 2 n of operations? 011100 (28) -> 11100 (28) -> 14 -> 7 -> 6 -> 3 -> 2 -> 1 -> 0 (7ops)
Technical Interview Questions:
1. Refactoring a Java code snippet: encapsulation, structure, alternative designs.
2. Discussing API usage: which requests to use, sending data in GET requests.
3. Scalability considerations: handling multiple requests, caching, load balancing.
4. Handling nested conditionals and improving code readability.
5. Explaining your approach, thought process, and code decisions throughout the exercises.
Behavioral / Situational Questions:
1.Describe a time a colleague raised a concern about your work and how you addressed it.
2.Explain a situation where you introduced a bug and how you identified and resolved it.
3. Share an example of a challenging situation and how you managed it.
There is usually a first online screening, followed by a short conversation with a recruiter, and then a first technical interview. After that, there is an interview on-site and the people and culture interview.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
What is the difference between checked and unchecked exceptions?
What are the various collections available in the Java standard library? What are their uses cases? What is the complexity of typical operations and why?
First step is a task to test programming skills in Java, followed by 5 to 6 rounds of interviews including HR, team, cultural, and meeting with CEO. The tasks are of moderate difficulty.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
General questions regarding ambitions, previous experiences, etc.