Pinterest's interview process has four stages: a recruiter call, a hiring manager discussion, a team interview round of competency-based interviews, and a debrief and decision. Early-career software engineering, machine learning and data science candidates take a CodeSignal assessment before the recruiter call. Pinterest says the timeline varies by role.
Everything below comes from Pinterest's careers site and its recruiters' own posts, linked as we go. Where Pinterest doesn't say something, we say so. The interview questions are ones to prepare for; Pinterest doesn't publish its questions.
The Pinterest interview process at a glance
| Stage | What happens | Who you meet |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Application review | Recruiters review applications against the role's requirements. | A recruiter or sourcer may contact you |
| 2. Online assessment (early careers) | A CodeSignal assessment for software engineering, machine learning and data science interns and new grads. | Online, no interviewer |
| 3. Recruiter call | Your experience and an overview of the process. 30 minutes for early-career roles. | Recruiter |
| 4. Hiring manager discussion | A deeper look at your qualifications for the role. | Hiring manager |
| 5. Team interview round | "Carefully curated, competency-based interviews". For engineers, technical interviews. | Cross-functional team members |
| 6. Debrief and decision | The team debriefs once all candidates finish. Early-career software engineering candidates go to a hiring committee. | Your recruiter tells you the result |
Pinterest describes this on its Candidate Hub. Three people support you through it: a sourcer who may reach out first, a recruiting coordinator who handles scheduling, and a recruiter who is your main contact.
What is the Pinterest interview process?
You apply, talk to a recruiter, meet the hiring manager, then complete a round of interviews with the team. After every candidate has finished, the team debriefs and decides, and your recruiter gives you the result directly.
Cohesyve
Get some practice in before you apply to Pinterest
Try an AI job simulation of the everyday work in roles like these and see where you lost marks. 3 free practice assessments, no card.
What happens in the Pinterest recruiter call?
The recruiter covers your experience and walks you through the process. Pinterest asks you to mention any competing timelines from other employers early. For its programmatic sales roles, a Pinterest recruiting lead says the screen also asks how you've used AI or automation to improve outcomes.
What is the Pinterest hiring manager interview?
Pinterest says this conversation assesses your qualifications for the role "more deeply". It's also your chance to learn about the role, team and company.
What is the Pinterest team interview round?
You meet cross-functional team members in a set of competency-based interviews, and your recruiter prepares you beforehand. The format depends on the job:
- Software engineering new grads: one technical interview of an hour with an engineer, then three more technical interviews of about an hour each if you pass, according to Pinterest's university recruiting team.
- Software engineering interns: one technical interview of an hour.
- Machine learning and data science new grads: three to four technical interviews with engineers, then a 30-minute call with interested hiring managers, per Pinterest's ML and data science post.
- Programmatic sales: three functional rounds, each mixing behavioural questions with role-relevant scenarios or case-style questions. Depending on the role, there may be a final call with the VP of Programmatic, a pitch, or both, according to Pinterest's programmatic sales post.
Pinterest doesn't publish the number of rounds for experienced engineering roles.
How does Pinterest make a hiring decision?
After every candidate has finished the interview round, the team debriefs and decides, and your recruiter gives you the result directly. Early-career software engineering candidates go to a hiring committee, according to Pinterest's university recruiting team.
Does Pinterest have an online assessment?
For early-career technical roles, yes. Pinterest's university recruiting posts say software engineering, machine learning and data science interns and new grads who are a potential match get an invitation to a CodeSignal assessment, and a passing score leads to the recruiter phone screen.
Pinterest doesn't say which CodeSignal test it uses, how long it is or what score passes. Our guide to the CodeSignal General Coding Assessment explains one of CodeSignal's standard formats. If coding tests are new to you, our HackerRank test guide covers another coding test platform.
Can you use AI in a Pinterest interview?
Only where Pinterest says so. Its philosophy on AI in hiring says being fluent in AI is essential to its roles, and its interviews assess how you use it. The rules:
- AI is encouraged only in designated parts, such as take-home or virtual assignments, or a section of a live technical screen.
- For any live interview question, assume AI isn't permitted unless you're explicitly told otherwise.
- Some parts of the process explicitly prohibit AI to assess your foundational knowledge.
- Copilot, not autopilot: "You own the final answer and the reasoning behind it must be yours."
Pinterest also says AI isn't used to make its hiring decisions.
How long does the Pinterest interview process take?
Pinterest doesn't publish a timeline. It says timing varies by role and your recruiting partner explains it in your first conversation. Tell your recruiter early if you have other offers or deadlines.
What interview questions does Pinterest ask?
Pinterest doesn't publish its interview questions. These are common ones for Pinterest's kinds of roles, with how to answer each in a way that fits what Pinterest says it values. Its mission is "to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love", and its values are Put Pinners first, Aim for extraordinary, Create belonging, Act as one and Win or learn. Use the STAR method for behavioural questions, and follow Pinterest's recruiters: go deep and stay succinct.
| Question | How to answer it for Pinterest |
|---|---|
| 1. Why Pinterest? | Connect to the mission and to Put Pinners first. Name a product decision or feature you think serves users well, and why. |
| 2. Tell me about a project you led end to end. | A Pinterest sourcer says engineering and product hiring looks for ownership and technical ability. Explain the how and the why, and your individual part. |
| 3. Tell me about a time you put users first when it cost you something. | Put Pinners first is about decisions centred on users' wellbeing. Show the trade-off you made. |
| 4. Tell me about a time you raised the bar. | Aim for extraordinary means starting with a higher bar for products and execution. Say what "good enough" was and what you did instead. |
| 5. Tell me about a big bet that didn't work. | Win or learn means taking smart risks and carrying the lessons forward. Be honest about the miss and specific about what you changed. |
| 6. Describe working across teams to deliver something. | Act as one is about removing silos and sharing wins. Name the teams and how you kept them aligned. |
| 7. How have you helped someone feel they belonged on a team? | Create belonging values individual perspectives and life experiences. Use a real, specific example. |
| 8. How do you use AI in your work? | Pinterest assesses AI fluency. Explain when you use it, when you don't, and how you check its output, in line with its "copilot, not autopilot" rule. |
| 9. (Engineering) Solve this coding problem. | Think out loud. Pinterest's engineering recruiting lead says interviewers want to hear your approach, roadblocks and questions as well as your solution. |
| 10. (Product) How would you solve this problem? | Ask clarifying questions, then commit to one approach. A Pinterest product recruiting lead says to avoid textbook answers. |
| 11. (Sales) How did you turn a "no" into a "yes"? | Pinterest's enterprise sales hiring looks for a challenger mindset that creates demand. Show how you changed an advertiser's thinking. |
| 12. Tell me about the impact you had. | Be fluent in outcomes: show how you got the result. If you don't have exact figures, Pinterest's sales recruiter says to use ranges that describe it accurately. |
| 13. What questions do you have for us? | Ask how the team works with other functions, or what success looks like in the first months. |
For more practice, see our list of behavioural interview questions.
How to prepare for a Pinterest interview
- Keep your resume clean and readable, as Pinterest's sourcers advise, with a separate version for each type of role you apply to.
- If you're early career in engineering or data, practise timed coding before the CodeSignal assessment.
- Learn the five values and the mission, and map one story to each.
- Prepare stories that go deep and stay succinct: context, what you did, your individual impact and the challenges.
- Practise thinking out loud on technical and case-style problems.
- Prepare your view on AI: how you use it, how you check it, and when you don't use it.
- For sales roles, prepare your view of Pinterest in the market, a big bet you took, and outcomes with ranges where you lack exact numbers.
- Run a mock interview with someone who will push for specifics.
Practising realistic work tasks
Pinterest's team rounds test how you work on problems like the real job. That improves 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. It isn't affiliated with Pinterest and doesn't use Pinterest's assessments or questions.
FAQs
How many interviews does Pinterest have?
It depends on the role. Pinterest's general process is a recruiter call, a hiring manager discussion and a team interview round. Software engineering new grads have four technical interviews of about an hour; interns have one.
Does Pinterest use CodeSignal?
Yes, for early-career software engineering, machine learning and data science roles. Pinterest's university recruiting team says a passing score leads to the recruiter screen.
Can I use ChatGPT or other AI tools in a Pinterest interview?
Only in parts where Pinterest says you can, such as some take-home or virtual assignments. For any live interview question, Pinterest says to assume AI isn't permitted unless you're told otherwise.
Who decides whether I get an offer at Pinterest?
The team debriefs after all candidates finish the interview round and makes the decision. Early-career software engineering candidates go to a hiring committee. Your recruiter tells you the result.
How do I find out about Pinterest's timeline?
Ask your recruiter. Pinterest says timelines vary by role and are explained in your first conversation.
Sources
Pinterest's own careers site, checked 27 October 2026:
- pinterestcareers.com: Candidate Hub
- pinterestcareers.com: Our philosophy on AI in hiring
- pinterestcareers.com: Inside Pinterest (mission and values)
- pinterestcareers.com: Interview process: general software engineering interns and new grads (1 April 2024)
- pinterestcareers.com: Interview process: machine learning and data science interns and new grads (1 April 2024)
- pinterestcareers.com: Behind the Boards: insight from Pinterest Recruiting (18 August 2025)
- pinterestcareers.com: Behind the Boards: programmatic sales interview insight (20 April 2026)
- pinterestcareers.com: Behind the Boards: enterprise sales interview insight (29 May 2026)