US startups interview differently from many companies elsewhere: faster, more product-focused, and very interested in how you communicate.
The typical loop
- Recruiter screen (30 min): background, motivation, logistics, salary range
- Hiring manager call: depth on past projects
- Technical stage: take-home or live coding
- System design / architecture: for senior roles
- Team or founder round: culture, values, collaboration
Take-homes
- Clarify scope before starting.
- Respect the time limit, and write a README section on "what I'd do next."
- Tests and types signal seniority.
- Explain trade-offs briefly.
- Ship it like a PR: clean commits, clear description (code review habits).
Live coding
- Talk through your thinking. Silence is the biggest mistake.
- Ask clarifying questions before writing code.
- Start simple, then improve.
- Test your solution out loud with an example.
Frontend system design
Common prompts: autocomplete, news feed, chat, dashboard. Cover:
- Component structure and state ownership
- Data fetching, caching, and pagination
- Performance (rendering lists, INP)
- Accessibility (WCAG 2.2)
- Error and offline states
- Trade-offs you chose and why
What they're really assessing remotely
- Written communication: your emails and take-home README count
- Ownership: did you drive outcomes, not just tickets?
- Async habits: how you work across time zones (time-zone overlap)
- Product sense: do you understand why the feature matters?
Logistics
- State your overlap hours clearly.
- Test your setup: camera, mic, internet backup.
- Know your arrangement preference: contractor or EOR (comparison).
- Salary: ask for their range; compare in real terms (EUR vs USD).