How To Land Your Dream Embedded Software Job

9/4/2018 How to land your dream embedded software job – freeCodeCamp.
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Rohan Dasika Follow
5G engineer || Smart City enthusiastprint again.
|| UMich '18
Nov 26, 2017 · 9 min read
How to land your dream embedded

software job
Guides on preparing for software interviews are aplenty. Embedded

software interviews are somewhat similar, but it’s still a di erent game
you have to play.
There is some helpful material on the Internet and some content for
software interview prep does carry over. But in general, I wasn’t able to
nd a comprehensive guide to get me started.
Recruiting and doing interview prep for embedded software over the
last 4 months taught me a great deal about how to approach the
process. I recently received o ers from a few big tech companies. In this
post, I’ll be sharing some insights I gained along the way.
I’ll be dividing this post into a couple sections, so feel free to jump
around! There are already tons of content on smart ways to recruit, so
I’m not going to go into how to get interviews here.
• Content to prepare and review
• The interview itself!
https://medium.freecodecamp.org/how-to-landing-your-embedded-software-dream-job-4ff9674bf1c4 1/11
9/4/2018 How to land your dream embedded software job – freeCodeCamp.org
Picking a language
As a standard, embedded software development is mostly done in C,
although C++ is becoming more popular recently. If you’ve taken any
computer architecture or embedded systems courses, you’ve probably
used one or the other. Make sure you know which language the
company you’re interviewing with uses. If you’re more familiar with
C++ but they use C, be upfront about that — if you know one, you’ll be
able to switch between the two fairly easily.
Since I’m most familiar with C++, companies have allowed me to write
code in C++. If necessary, they helped me transition that code to C.
For the most part, it doesn’t really make a di erence. This is unless
you’re working with some speci c C++ standard library functions and
containers.
Verilog is used mostly for FPGA development. Python is used a fair

amount to communicate between the user and the embedded system
they’re working on. Chances are you won’t be asked any questions on
those.
Same goes with assembly language (thankfully!! 🙏).
The basics are the basics

I began the journey in a similar fashion to most computer science
students — by reviewing my data structures and algorithms. But soon, I
realized that content for embedded software splits o at a certain
point. It’s much more focused on computer architecture, operating
systems, and some hardware fundamentals than higher level data
structures like trees or sorting algorithms.
You deal with lower level code and hardware in embedded software
roles. But from a programming standpoint, your data structures and
algorithms are still highly relevant. Similar to software interviews,
there are tons of resources to help you prepare for the basics! Doing a
few problems from each section in Cracking the Coding Interview was
a good starting point.
Quickly after that, I preferred to use LeetCode due to the capability to

run and test instantly. LeetCode is an incredible platform with a great
community. In my opinion, has questions most similar to ones you’ll
encounter in interviews. It saves all your submitted solutions and
calculates runtimes as well. Do most of the “Easy” and a decent portion
of the “Medium” questions and you should be okay :)
Additionally, Geeks For Geeks is a great resource with very thorough

explanations for hundreds of problems.
Carry-over from Software Interviews

The following few topics are very similar to the concepts from software
interviews, and these are tested heavily, so make sure you know them
well!
• Algorithmic complexity (both time and memory)
• Pointers
• Arrays
• Linked Lists
• Strings (and C-strings)
• Stacks & Queues
The following topics aren’t really tested, but be familiar with them
conceptually. Know how they work, their complexities, and how to
solve them at a basic level.
• Recursion
• Trees
• Heaps
• Hashing
• Sorting
Beyond the Software

This is where the real embedded stu starts!
Bit manipulation!!
Know this like the back of your hand.
It’s possibly the most important topic of your interviews. On this

speci c topic, do all the questions on LeetCode.
• Know how negative numbers are represented in binary
• Know the di erences between one’s and two’s complements
• Be able to convert between binary, decimal, and hexadecimal
• The XOR operation is powerful. Know what all it can do.
Here’s a great resource I used for helpful tips and tricks
Computer architecture
A close second to bit manipulation.
You probably won’t be asked to implement any of these, but you

de nitely will be asked about how things work underneath the hood.
Some topics to read up on include…
• Important registers and how they work
• Di erence between caller-save and callee-save
• How interrupts work
• A basic understanding of instruction pipelines
• Caches, TLBs, and how virtual memory is implemented
• Various types of memory (ROM vs RAM, DDR, EEPROM, Flash,

etc)
• Memory padding (instructs & classes)
• What happens when you boot a system
Operating Systems
Depending on the company and the role, operating systems can be a
very important topic. You won’t be asked to implement any of these, but
know how things work at a conceptual level!
• Process vs. Thread
• How multi-threading works
• Real-Time Operating Systems vs traditional OS
• Task scheduling (FIFO, Round Robin, Priority-based)
• How semaphores & mutexes protect data
• Priority inversion, priority inheritance, spinlocks, and deadlocks
• What makes a function ‘reentrant’?
• Critical sections
• Priority levels in microcontrollers (EL0 — EL3)
Communication Protocols
Know the bene ts and tradeo s of using the following protocols:
• UART
• SPI
• I2C
Based on your previous experiences, the role you’re applying for, and
the company, you may be asked about others as well. Typically,
companies don’t expect you to know about these speci c protocols and
will train you on the job. But having a basic understanding can always
help wow the interviewer!
• Automotive: CAN, LIN
• Wireless: 3G, 4G LTE, basics of 5G, 802.11(Wi ), Bluetooth
• Networking: HTTP, TCP/UDP, IP, 802.11(Wi ), Ethernet
Hardware Fundamentals
Hardware isn’t tested a whole lot for embedded software, but
depending on the role, your level of interaction may vary. Check the job
descriptions and talk to people who work there for a better idea!
• Watchdog timers
• Timers in general
• Details about any peripherals you may have used in your projects
(accelerometers, any sensors, LiDAR, motors, etc)
Practicing
Practice is key — there’s really no way around that. Make sure to
dedicate at least 2 hours a day for interview prep, not including
applying for jobs and reaching out to recruiters.
While practicing on LeetCode, comment your code. Explain your

algorithm and the runtime complexities. Every day before you begin
coding, review the problems you worked on the previous day. At the
end of the week, review every problem you worked on that week.
This’ll help you remember the algorithms better and bit by bit, you’ll
become a pro at pattern matching.
Embedded interviews tend to be more conceptual than your typical

software interviews, due to the nature of some of the topics tested. For
these areas, I maintained a Google doc of all the questions that I might
be asked, but also all their answers. I also included a link to where I can
read more information to be helpful. It helped me stay organized and

review faster.
A general tip for reviewing — speak out loud. It’ll help you remember
them better and it’s good practice for when you interview.
At the interview
You made it — great job!
Take a deep breath. It’s time to put all your hard work to good use.
Usually, you and the interviewer will go through a few conceptual
questions. You will also discuss your previous experiences and projects.
Make sure you’re able to answer questions about your contributions
and various challenges you faced in detail.
If this is an interview that’s happening remotely, you’ll probably be

asked to code in a shared document. Have some paper ready to jot
down important points and diagrams. If it helps, you can also have
some notes that you can refer to during the interview. I always keep a
sheet of basic algorithmic complexities handy.
Check the timezones. Double check them. Don’t forget to use

headphones. Be in a quiet environment so there are no disturbances.
Communication issues are only going to make the interview more
di cult.
When you get the question

Never start coding right away. As important as arriving at the right
solution is, the interviewer is really looking at your approach.
Take a second and repeat the question back to the interviewer, just to
make sure you both are on the same page. And if there are any
misunderstandings, the interviewer can always repeat and clarify any
doubts.
Next, understand the scope of the problem
• How big is the input?
• Is it sorted?
• Is there a certain time or memory complexity that you should

meet?
• Are there duplicates? Negative values? Empty values?
• Do you have to perform error checking?
Then, walk through your algorithm. Start o with the most basic,
brute-force approach. It can be super ine cient and mention that
you’re using this as a starting point. Explain the time and memory
complexities and why it’s a poor solution.
From there, it’s time to optimize. Generally look for places where you
might be storing unnecessary amounts of data or repeating sections of
code. For embedded applications, memory is important! Instead of
using an array or vector, consider using a bitset. If you’re just dealing
with values between 0 and 31, toggle bits in an integer! This is where
bit manipulation comes in handy.
It’s important to think out loud while you’re brainstorming. If you’re

stuck or heading in the wrong direction, the interviewer can help bring
you back on track. Once you’ve both agreed on a solution, then it’s
nally time to start coding.
Writing code
Reading others’ code isn’t always the most enjoyable thing. Make the
job a little easier for your interviewer by using good style. That doesn’t
mean that you have to put down every semicolon or bracket, but indent
well and use meaningful variable names. Try to write neatly and use
the whiteboard space well.
While you’re writing code, keep checking against the algorithm you’ve
devised. Similar to the brainstorming phase, think out loud. Provide
verbal comments to your code. At each step, explain what you’re
checking, what you hope to achieve, and any design decisions you
make.
After you’re done writing code, don’t say you’re done yet. Take a step
back and analyze your code from a high-level perspective. Check the
inputs, the outputs, and your logic for any bugs. Be sure to spot any o -
by-one errors! Then, walk through the code with a few test cases. If
there are any issues that you see, review and rework your code as
necessary.
Depending on the interview, you might have one big question or a

couple smaller ones. But once the interviewer has agreed with your
solution, there is a chance he or she might extend it di erent
parameters. You probably won’t have to rework the code, but you might
have to discuss how to change parts of your approach. Like I mentioned
before, memory is important in embedded applications. So a common
follow-up question is usually about further memory optimization.
Final Thoughts
The nature of embedded software interviews is heavily dependent on
the company and the work they prioritize. Companies working on a
speci c communication protocol will look for di erent things than a

company developing a real-time operating system or a company
working on an IoT product.
I wanted to use this article as a place to share some common themes in

the interviews I’ve had, but this is by no means comprehensive. This is
intended to be used as a starting point. But please reach out to current
employees and check Glassdoor for more company-speci c interview
tips.
Interviews are tough, but preparing well and working hard now can
help you land a job you love :)
I hope this article helped, and wish you the best of luck!
. . .
If you enjoyed this article, please don’t forget to leave a 👏. You can also
follow me on Twitter or Quora:)

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9/4/2018 How to land your dream embedded software job – freeCodeCamp.

How to land your dream embedded

Guides on preparing for software interviews are aplenty. Embedded

• Content to prepare and review

• The interview itself!

Verilog is used mostly for FPGA development. Python is used a fair

Same goes with assembly language (thankfully!! 🙏).

The basics are the basics

Quickly after that, I preferred to use LeetCode due to the capability to

Additionally, Geeks For Geeks is a great resource with very thorough

Carry-over from Software Interviews

• Algorithmic complexity (both time and memory)

• Strings (and C-strings)

• Stacks & Queues

Beyond the Software

It’s possibly the most important topic of your interviews. On this

• Know how negative numbers are represented in binary

• Know the di erences between one’s and two’s complements

• Be able to convert between binary, decimal, and hexadecimal

• The XOR operation is powerful. Know what all it can do.

Here’s a great resource I used for helpful tips and tricks

You probably won’t be asked to implement any of these, but you

• Important registers and how they work

• Di erence between caller-save and callee-save

• How interrupts work

• A basic understanding of instruction pipelines

• Caches, TLBs, and how virtual memory is implemented

• Various types of memory (ROM vs RAM, DDR, EEPROM, Flash,

• Memory padding (instructs & classes)

• What happens when you boot a system

• Process vs. Thread

• How multi-threading works

• Real-Time Operating Systems vs traditional OS

• Task scheduling (FIFO, Round Robin, Priority-based)

• How semaphores & mutexes protect data

• Priority inversion, priority inheritance, spinlocks, and deadlocks

• What makes a function ‘reentrant’?

• Priority levels in microcontrollers (EL0 — EL3)

• Automotive: CAN, LIN

• Wireless: 3G, 4G LTE, basics of 5G, 802.11(Wi ), Bluetooth

• Networking: HTTP, TCP/UDP, IP, 802.11(Wi ), Ethernet

While practicing on LeetCode, comment your code. Explain your

Embedded interviews tend to be more conceptual than your typical

read more information to be helpful. It helped me stay organized and

If this is an interview that’s happening remotely, you’ll probably be

Check the timezones. Double check them. Don’t forget to use

When you get the question

Next, understand the scope of the problem

• How big is the input?

• Is there a certain time or memory complexity that you should

• Are there duplicates? Negative values? Empty values?

• Do you have to perform error checking?

It’s important to think out loud while you’re brainstorming. If you’re

Depending on the interview, you might have one big question or a

speci c communication protocol will look for di erent things than a

I wanted to use this article as a place to share some common themes in

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