Machine Learning Engineer · Phone Screen · Coding

OpenAI — Machine Learning Engineer ❌ Failed

Level: Senior-Level

Round: Phone Screen · Type: Coding · Difficulty: 6/10 · Duration: 120 min · Interviewer: Unfriendly

Topics: Machine Learning, Algorithms, Debugging

Location: San Francisco, CA

Interview date: 2026-01-18

Got offer: False

Summary

I had two back-to-back phone screen interviews. The questions were standard interview questions.

Details

In the first interview, due to technical difficulties with Google Chrome, I had to switch to Safari, which caused a few minutes of delay. Despite that, I managed to finish the question just in time.

In the second interview, one of the four bugs was a subtle typo that took me a bit of time to find. I also completed the follow-up classifier question just in time.

Preparation Tips & Key Takeaways

What I Learned

• Speed is crucial, especially with commonly asked questions. Aim to complete questions comfortably within the time limit.
• Technical difficulties can arise, so be prepared with backup options (e.g., different browsers).

Recommended Preparation

Coding Practice

• Focus on time management when practicing common coding questions.
• Practice debugging code to quickly identify and fix errors.

Behavioral Questions

• Prepare questions to ask the interviewer beforehand.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Don't get bogged down by minor issues; stay focused on efficient problem-solving.
• Avoid rushing through the problem, which can lead to mistakes.