Preparing for staff/principal engineer system design rounds: what changes?
Hana Ahmed
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i'm starting to prepare for staff/principal engineer system design rounds, and it feels like a different beast than senior-level interviews. the feedback i'm getting suggests a heavier emphasis on ambiguity, discussing trade-offs at a deeper level, considering organizational impact, and thinking about the long-term evolution of a system. it's less about finding a 'correct' solution and more about demonstrating broad judgment. what are the key shifts in expectations for these higher-level roles? what specific areas should i focus on, or what kind of questions should I be prepared to answer differently compared to a senior engineer interview?
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