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Meta·Software Engineer·Onsite - System Design / Architecture·Senior

Senior
May 2026

Summary

Meta system design round, one question about building a jobs product from scratch. Sparse on details but it's the kind of open-ended thing that can go a lot of directions depending on what the interviewer wants to dig into.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

Design a jobs marketplace feature for Facebook, covering how users post, discover, and apply for jobs on the platform.

System DesignData ModelingProduct Sense & Ideation
Author's notes

This one sprawls fast.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Start by clarifying requirements and scope, then design the system in layers: data model, APIs, and services for posting, discovery, and application. Focus on scalability, relevance, and privacy, and discuss trade-offs for each component.

Pro tip: Emphasize how you would leverage Facebook's social graph and existing infrastructure (e.g., News Feed ranking, Graph API) to differentiate the jobs marketplace and drive engagement.

1. Clarify Requirements and Scope

Ask questions to understand functional and non-functional requirements, such as user roles (employers, job seekers), scale, privacy, and integration with existing Facebook features.

2. High-Level Architecture

Outline the main components: job posting service, search/discovery service, application service, and data stores. Sketch how they interact and scale.

3. Data Modeling

Define core entities (User, Job, Application, Company) and their relationships. Discuss storage choices (SQL vs NoSQL) and indexing for efficient queries.

4. Discovery and Ranking

Explain how jobs are surfaced to users: search, recommendations, and feed integration. Discuss ranking signals (relevance, social connections, user behavior) and personalization.

5. Application Flow and Scalability

Detail the apply process, including resume submission, notifications, and status tracking. Address scalability, reliability, and privacy considerations.

Key Points to Mention

  • Leveraging Facebook's social graph for job discovery and referrals
  • Scalable data storage and indexing for job search (e.g., Elasticsearch)
  • Ranking algorithm for personalized job recommendations
  • Privacy and permission models for job postings and applications
  • Integration with existing Facebook features (News Feed, Messenger, Groups)
  • Handling high write throughput for applications and notifications

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.