Netflix publishes its interview process for interns and new graduates: a take-home assessment, then two or three rounds of interviews, with each stage depending on feedback from the last. For experienced hires it publishes no stage list, but it does publish the culture memo its interviewers draw on. Below is what Netflix says, the questions to prepare and how to answer each one for Netflix.
Everything about the process comes from Netflix's own careers pages, linked as we go. Where Netflix doesn't say something, we say so.
The Netflix interview process at a glance
| Stage | What happens | What Netflix says |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Application | Apply for a specific role on Netflix's jobs site. | The hiring team reviews your application and will be in touch if your background fits the role |
| 2. Take-home assessment | Interns and new grads typically get a take-home assessment first. | Contents and length not published |
| 3. Interview rounds | Two rounds for new grads; about two to three for interns. | You advance based on feedback at each stage |
| 4. Offer | Not described on Netflix's careers pages. | Not published |
What is the Netflix interview process?
Netflix's internship page says intern interviews typically start with a take-home assessment, followed by "approximately two-to-three rounds of interviews", and that you advance based on the feedback at each stage. Its new-grad page describes the same shape with two rounds.
On both pages Netflix says the experience is tailored to each role, and that interviewers evaluate three things:
- technical skills, where the role needs them;
- role-specific skills;
- behavioural skills.
Netflix also says it uses the interviews to learn about the work that excites you, so it can match you with a team.
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What is the Netflix hiring process for experienced roles?
Netflix doesn't publish one. Its careers site lists open roles by team and location, and after you apply it tells you the hiring team is reviewing your application and will be in touch if your background fits. Beyond that, the only process detail on its main careers pages is that you work with a recruiting partner, who handles accommodation requests.
Accounts of experienced-hire loops on prep sites vary by team and aren't confirmed by Netflix, so we haven't repeated them here. When a recruiter contacts you, ask how many rounds to expect, who you'll meet and whether there's an assessment.
Does Netflix give a take-home assessment?
For interns and new grads, typically yes. Netflix says the take-home comes before the interview rounds. It doesn't publish what the assessment contains, how long you get or which platform it uses, and the content depends on the role. For software engineering roles, Netflix's advice is to practise technical fundamentals.
Netflix doesn't say whether experienced hires get a take-home.
How long does the Netflix hiring process take?
Netflix doesn't publish a timeline for any role. What it does publish is when early-career roles open:
- Internships are typically 12-week summer roles in the United States, India, Poland and Japan. Netflix usually starts posting them on a rolling basis in the late summer and early autumn, often continues into the following spring, and accepts applications as soon as each role goes live.
- New-grad roles in the United States are typically posted in late September or October, and availability varies with hiring needs.
What does Netflix look for in candidates?
Netflix's culture memo is the clearest statement of it. The memo rests on four principles: the Dream Team, people over process, uncomfortably exciting, and great and always better. It lists eight values Netflix looks for:
| Value | What the memo describes |
|---|---|
| Selflessness | Seeking what's best for Netflix, not yourself or your team; helping others succeed |
| Judgment | Long-term solutions over short-term fixes; wise decisions despite ambiguity; using data to inform intuition |
| Candor | Giving and receiving feedback; admitting mistakes openly |
| Creativity | Welcoming new ideas; persistence in pursuit of better solutions |
| Courage | Willingness to risk failure or challenge the status quo |
| Inclusion | Recognising your biases and working to counteract them |
| Curiosity | Learning rapidly; interest in other people's ideas as much as your own |
| Resilience | Adapting quickly; making tough decisions without long delay |
The memo also says Netflix hires "unusually responsible" people who are self-motivated, self-aware and self-disciplined, and that managers practise "context not control". Each significant decision has an informed captain who seeks out different views ("farming for dissent"), and once a decision is made everyone is expected to "disagree then commit".
The memo is candid that Netflix isn't for everyone. It describes the "keeper test" managers apply to their teams, and says employees support the artistic expression of the creators Netflix works with, even when some stories run counter to their personal values.
Netflix interview questions and how to answer them
Question 1 comes straight from Netflix's careers pages. The rest are questions to prepare, each built on a value or practice from the culture memo. Netflix doesn't publish its interview questions, and says interviews vary by role.
For "tell me about a time" questions, use the STAR structure (situation, task, action, result). Our STAR method guide walks through it.
1. Which parts of the culture memo resonate with you, and which don't?
Netflix's internship and new-grad pages warn that you may be asked which aspects of the memo resonate most with you, "or not". Read the whole memo. Pick one part you've lived, with an example, and one you have a genuine question or reservation about. An honest, thought-through reservation fits the memo's own emphasis on candor better than blanket agreement.
2. Walk me through a project on your resume.
Netflix tells early-career candidates to prepare to talk about the projects on their resume. Pick your strongest one and cover the problem, your part, the decisions you made and what you'd do differently.
3. Tell me about a time you gave someone difficult feedback, or received it.
Candor is a Netflix value, and the memo says feedback should be part of everyday work. Show the feedback, how you delivered or took it, and what changed afterwards.
4. Tell me about a decision you made with incomplete information.
The Judgment value is about making wise decisions despite ambiguity and using data to inform intuition. Explain what you knew, what you didn't, how you decided and how it turned out.
5. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision but committed to it.
The memo expects people to "disagree then commit". Describe how you made your case, what was decided, and how you then helped the decision succeed.
6. Tell me about a risk you took that didn't work out.
The Courage value includes being willing to risk failure, and the memo says managers look at a whole record rather than at bets that didn't pay off. Own the result and say what you learned.
7. Tell me about a time you put the team's goal ahead of your own.
Selflessness means seeking what's best for Netflix, "not yourself or your team", and taking time to help others succeed. Give an example where helping someone else cost you something.
8. How do you work when nobody tells you what to do?
Netflix says it hires unusually responsible people and gives context instead of control. Show how you set your own priorities, found the information you needed and kept people informed.
9. Tell me about a time you had to adapt quickly.
Resilience means adapting quickly to changing circumstances. A sudden change in scope, deadline or team works well.
10. Tell me about something you learned quickly, recently.
Curiosity means learning rapidly and being humble about what you don't yet know. Name the skill, how you learned it and what you then did with it.
11. How do you make sure everyone on a team can do their best work?
Inclusion, in the memo, means recognising your biases, working to counteract them, and helping everyone do their best work whatever their culture, identity or background. Use a real example.
12. How would you feel about working on a title you personally disliked?
The memo says employees support the artistic expression of the creators Netflix works with, even when stories run counter to their personal values, and that people who'd find that hard may not be suited to Netflix. Answer honestly; the memo is clear that this is a real part of the job.
13. Why Netflix?
Tie your answer to the work and the culture. Name something specific, such as a product, a technology problem, a show or a part of the memo, and say why it matters to you.
For engineering roles, expect role-specific technical questions too; Netflix's advice is to practise technical fundamentals. For more behavioural practice, see our list of behavioural interview questions.
How to prepare for a Netflix interview
Netflix's own advice to early-career candidates has three parts: bring the culture into your interview, prepare to talk about your projects, and practise technical fundamentals if you're a software engineer. In practice:
- Read the culture memo in full, not a summary. Know the four principles and the eight values.
- Prepare an answer to "which parts resonate, and which don't". Netflix tells you it may come up.
- Prepare one STAR story per value, especially Candor, Judgment and Courage.
- Know every project on your resume well enough to discuss decisions and trade-offs.
- For a take-home, ask your recruiter about format and timing, and do your own work.
- Practise technical fundamentals for engineering roles.
- Prepare questions about the culture. Netflix encourages you to ask interviewers what it's like to work there.
- Practise out loud, ideally in a mock interview with someone who will push back.
Practising realistic work tasks
Interviews reward prepared stories. The take-home and the job reward judgement on real problems, and both improve with practice on realistic tasks. Cohesyve, which publishes this guide, runs practice job simulations for your role, with a scored report on where you lost marks. Cohesyve isn't affiliated with Netflix and doesn't use Netflix's assessments or questions.
FAQs
How many interview rounds does Netflix have?
For new grads, Netflix says two rounds after a take-home assessment. For interns, about two to three rounds after a take-home. It doesn't publish the number for experienced hires.
Does Netflix ask about its culture memo in interviews?
Netflix says you may be asked which aspects of the memo resonate with you, or don't. It also encourages you to ask your interviewers about the culture.
How long does it take to hear back from Netflix?
Netflix doesn't publish a timeline. After you apply, it says the hiring team is reviewing your application and will be in touch if your background fits the role.
When does Netflix hire interns?
Netflix usually starts posting internships on a rolling basis in the late summer and early autumn and often keeps posting into the spring. Internships are typically 12 weeks over the summer, in the United States, India, Poland and Japan.
Does Netflix hire new graduates?
Yes, in the United States, across technical and business teams. Netflix says new-grad roles are typically posted in late September or October.
How do I ask Netflix for an interview accommodation?
Netflix asks you to send the request to your recruiting partner. It says this applies to a disability or any other reason.
Sources
Netflix's own pages, checked 27 October 2026:
- jobs.netflix.com: Internships
- jobs.netflix.com: New grads
- jobs.netflix.com: Netflix culture memo
- jobs.netflix.com: Careers home and job listings