Atlassian Interview Guide

Company Overview: Atlassian is known for collaboration software including Jira, Confluence, Trello, and Bitbucket. The company emphasizes teamwork, openness, and values-driven culture.

Interview Process

Timeline: 3-4 weeks

1. Recruiter Screen (30 min) – Background, interest in Atlassian
2. Technical Phone Screen (45-60 min) – Coding problem with shared editor
3. Onsite/Virtual (4-5 rounds, full day)
   • 2 coding rounds (60 min each)
   • 1 system design round (60 min) – for mid-level+
   • 1 behavioral/values round (45 min)
   • Optional: Hiring manager round

Question Types & Difficulty

Coding Questions (60%)

• Difficulty: Medium (70%), Easy-Medium (30%)
• Focus Areas:
  • String manipulation and parsing (common)
  • Arrays and hash maps
  • Trees and graphs
  • Design problems (object-oriented design)
• Style: Practical, real-world scenarios related to Atlassian products

System Design (20%)

• For: Senior engineers (3+ years)
• Common Topics:
  • Design collaborative editing system (like Confluence)
  • Design task management system (like Jira)
  • Design notification system
  • Real-time collaboration features

Values & Behavioral (20%)

• Atlassian places heavy emphasis on company values
• Values: Open company, no bullshit; Build with heart and balance; Don’t #@!% the customer; Play as a team; Be the change you seek
• Expect specific questions about collaboration and teamwork

Common Interview Questions

Coding:

• Parse and validate Jira ticket syntax
• Implement permission system for documents
• Design rate limiter for API
• Find all mentions (@user) in text
• Implement undo/redo functionality
• Merge intervals (calendar conflicts)

Behavioral:

• Tell me about a time you collaborated with a difficult team member
• Describe a situation where you disagreed with a decision
• How do you handle feedback?
• Give an example of when you went above and beyond

Preparation Strategy

Technical (4-6 weeks)

• Week 1-2: Arrays, strings, hash maps (Atlassian favorites)
• Week 3-4: Trees, graphs, object-oriented design
• Week 5-6: System design (if senior), mock interviews
• Practice: 50-75 LeetCode problems (focus on Medium)

Behavioral (1-2 weeks)

• Study Atlassian values deeply
• Prepare 5-7 STAR stories demonstrating each value
• Emphasize teamwork and collaboration
• Research Atlassian products (use them if possible)

Interview Tips

Do:

• ✓ Communicate clearly and often
• ✓ Show enthusiasm for collaboration tools
• ✓ Demonstrate values alignment (especially teamwork)
• ✓ Ask clarifying questions
• ✓ Test your code thoroughly
• ✓ Discuss trade-offs in system design

Don’t:

• ✗ Be overly competitive or individualistic
• ✗ Dismiss teamwork questions
• ✗ Ignore product context
• ✗ Rush through problems without planning

Salary & Levels

Level	Title	Base Salary	Total Comp
P3	Software Engineer	$120-150K	$140-180K
P4	Senior Software Engineer	$150-190K	$190-250K
P5	Senior Engineer II	$180-220K	$250-350K
P6	Principal Engineer	$220-280K	$350-500K+

Note: Total comp includes base + stock + bonus. Figures are approximate and vary by location.

Company Culture

• Work-Life Balance: Excellent – Known for healthy work culture
• Remote: Distributed-first company, strong remote support
• Perks: Generous PTO, ShipIt days (innovation time), equity for all
• Growth: Strong internal mobility, learning budget

Success Rate & Difficulty

• Overall Difficulty: Medium (3/5)
• Accept Rate: ~15-20% (moderately selective)
• Interview Duration: 3-4 weeks average
• Preparation Time: 6-8 weeks recommended

Final Advice

Atlassian is looking for strong engineers who are also great teammates. Technical skills matter, but cultural fit is equally important. Emphasize collaboration, show genuine interest in building tools that help teams work better, and demonstrate alignment with company values. The interview process is thorough but fair, and the company is known for transparent communication throughout.

Best for: Engineers who value team culture, work-life balance, and building impactful collaboration tools.