By FDE Interview Prep, a SourceStrongAI company

In this post12 sections
  1. Why the ‘just a chat’ call matters
  2. How long is it, and is it technical?
  3. What employers publish and candidates report about the screen
  4. Tell me about yourself: the version that fits in a minute
  5. Why FDE, and why here
  6. Travel and location
  7. Pay expectations: what to say and what not to volunteer
  8. Level and other processes
  9. Questions to ask the recruiter
  10. Questions people ask
  11. Keep reading
  12. More from the blog

The recruiter called this first round of the FDE interview loop a quick chat, it sits on your calendar between two meetings, and you plan to wing it. Don’t: in our read, this is where the recruiter first sketches your level and pay range, and none of it feels like an interview while it happens.

What to expect: candidates report a conversation, not a technical test, about their experience, motivation and fit. Source 1Applied AI Architect AnthropicPublisherBlind (teamblind.com)Source typecandidate report on BlindSource 2Cognition AI Forward Deployed Engineer Interview ExperiencePublisherAced (formerly Exponent)Source typecandidate’s personal write-upSource 3Palantir Interview Process... So Far, FDSE 2024 (post by u/kircher32245)PublisherReddit r/csMajorsSource typecandidate report on Reddit We’d also prepare for travel, pay, level and where else you’re interviewing.

Below are the words we’d use for each question and what to leave out.

Why the ‘just a chat’ call matters

In our read, the recruiter is deciding three things at once: whether you go forward, which role you fit, and how to pitch you to the hiring manager. None of those shows up as a hard question. They show up as “so, what are you looking for?” The easy answer, “I’m open, really, whatever fits”, tells the recruiter you haven’t chosen , leaves them to guess your level, and gives them no story to pitch. The costly part is that you won’t hear any of this back.

Motivation doesn’t stop mattering after this call. One candidate reported, in December 2025, being rejected after the final round of a Palantir Government-track loop, and wrote that the rejection was not about technical ability but mission alignment. Source 4Palantir FDSE Full Interview Loop Process (post by u/Not_the_Sauron)PublisherReddit r/csMajorsSource typecandidate report on Reddit The reason you give in the first call is the one you will be asked to defend in the last. Say nothing here you wouldn’t want repeated to the hiring manager.

How long is it, and is it technical?

How long is it? One Palantir FDSE candidate reported, in November 2024, a 30-minute phone call with the recruiter, Source 3Palantir Interview Process... So Far, FDSE 2024 (post by u/kircher32245)PublisherReddit r/csMajorsSource typecandidate report on Reddit and one Google FDE candidate reported, in July 2026, a recruiter screen of about 35 minutes. Source 5Need help in preparation for Google Forward Deployed Engineer(FDE) interview (post by u/Wonderful-Ad6418)PublisherReddit r/leetcodeSource typecandidate report on RedditSource 6Need help in preparation for Google Forward Deployed Engineer(FDE) interview (comment by u/Wonderful-Ad6418)PublisherReddit r/leetcodeSource typecandidate report on Reddit Leave free time after it on your calendar in case the call runs over.

Is it technical? In the Palantir and Google reports below, candidates report the coding in a separate round after the recruiter call. Source 3Palantir Interview Process... So Far, FDSE 2024 (post by u/kircher32245)PublisherReddit r/csMajorsSource typecandidate report on RedditSource 4Palantir FDSE Full Interview Loop Process (post by u/Not_the_Sauron)PublisherReddit r/csMajorsSource typecandidate report on RedditSource 5Need help in preparation for Google Forward Deployed Engineer(FDE) interview (post by u/Wonderful-Ad6418)PublisherReddit r/leetcodeSource typecandidate report on RedditSource 6Need help in preparation for Google Forward Deployed Engineer(FDE) interview (comment by u/Wonderful-Ad6418)PublisherReddit r/leetcodeSource typecandidate report on Reddit Still, have your current project ready to explain in plain words, because “what does your service actually do?” is fair game.

What employers publish and candidates report about the screen

Google and Cohere, which both publish their process, put a recruiter conversation first. Source 7Our hiring process - Google CareersPublisherGoogleSource typecompany hiring pageSource 8Careers | CoherePublisherCohereSource typecompany hiring page Google says candidates typically have one or two shorter recruiter conversations before a panel of interviews. Source 7Our hiring process - Google CareersPublisherGoogleSource typecompany hiring page Cohere’s careers page describes an application review, then a conversation with a recruiter, before any take-home or hiring-manager meeting. Source 8Careers | CoherePublisherCohereSource typecompany hiring page

Candidate reports fill in what the call covers:

That last report is the most useful one. The recruiter is the person who tells you what the next rounds test, so the call is also your best source of intelligence. Ask, and write it down.

Here is our read of what each likely question is for:

They askWhat your answer sets
Tell me about yourselfThe story later rounds hear
Why FDE, why hereWhether this role fits you
Travel and locationWhether they can staff you
Pay expectationsWhether you and the band overlap
LevelYour band and how you’re tested
Other processesHow fast they move

Tell me about yourself: the version that fits in a minute

What it checks. Whether you can explain your work to a non-engineer, and whether your story points at this role. A chronological read-out of your CV fails both.

Our shape. Four moves, in order: what you do now, the evidence that points toward customer-facing work, the reason you want it, and the link to this posting. The reason is what we call the bridge, and it’s the easiest part to skip.

Say something like this (a fictional background; build yours from your own work):

“I’m a backend engineer at a logistics software company, and I own the service that pulls in carrier data for our biggest accounts. Last spring a customer’s integration kept failing, so I sat with their operations team for a week and rebuilt the mapping with them in the room. That week was the best part of my year, and it’s the part of the job I keep volunteering for. Your posting says your engineers build on site with the customer, and that’s the job I want.”

Don’t volunteer:

  • why you’re leaving, if the reason is a bad manager or a reorg;
  • your pay, or a number of any kind;
  • “I’m open to anything”, which tells the recruiter you haven’t chosen this role.

Practice it against the background-in-a-minute question, and read the bridge story lesson to build the reason. For the long version, see tell me about yourself for an FDE interview.

Why FDE, and why here

What it checks. Whether you want this job or just a job, and whether you’d be better placed in a different engineering role. Leo Mehr, Director of Engineering at Ramp, said on dearCC, in June 2026, that asking candidates what they’re excited about is one way Ramp decides, somewhere in its process, whether someone suits FDE or another engineering role. Source 9What is a Forward Deployed Engineer? (FDE Explained) feat. Leo Mehr of Ramp (YouTube auto-generated English captions)PublisherdearCC (Clara Shih), YouTubeSource typerecorded talk or interview He also said that software engineers who say they want to be closer to customers or users are a great predictor of FDE fit. Source 9What is a Forward Deployed Engineer? (FDE Explained) feat. Leo Mehr of Ramp (YouTube auto-generated English captions)PublisherdearCC (Clara Shih), YouTubeSource typerecorded talk or interview

So the answer has two halves: a reason for the role grounded in something you did, and a reason for the company grounded in something you read.

Say something like this:

“The best month of my last year was two weeks at a customer’s warehouse, when their scanners kept dropping orders and I fixed the sync with their ops lead next to me. I want that to be the job, not the exception. And here specifically: [one thing only this company does, from its posting or engineering blog, e.g. ‘your posting says FDEs ship the into the customer’s ticketing system in the first month’], and that’s the part I want to own.”

Swap test: if the bracket still makes sense with a competitor’s name in it, rewrite it. The why this company, and why now question shows where to find that one detail.

Don’t volunteer:

  • “I’m tired of just writing code.” It sounds like you’re leaving engineering, and FDE is still engineering.
  • “I want to move into product management eventually.” Maybe true, but in this call it reads as a detour.
  • A reason any company would fit. If you could swap in a competitor’s name, the recruiter can too.

If the company stresses pace, as the Cognition report above suggests, have one concrete story of a fast stretch ready, with what you liked and what it cost.

The why FDE and not software engineering question gives the full framework. When the recruiter stacks a second and third “why?” on top, how to answer ‘why FDE?’ so it survives the follow-ups has the answers.

Travel and location

What it checks. Whether they can put you in front of customers. This is logistics, and a vague answer creates a problem the recruiter has to solve later.

Stated travel differs a lot, so read your posting first. As of September 2026, Anthropic’s US FDE posting estimates travel to customer sites at 25%, depending on location. Source 10Forward Deployed Engineer (New York City, NY; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA)PublisherAnthropic (Greenhouse job board)Source typecompany job posting OpenAI’s FDE posting for San Francisco, also as of September 2026, requires travel up to 50%. Source 11Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - SF | OpenAIPublisherOpenAISource typecompany job posting

Say something like this:

“Your posting mentions travel to customer sites, and that works for me. I can be on site every other week for as long as an engagement needs, and more around a go-live if I know a few weeks ahead. What I can’t do is be away most weekends for months at a time. How does on-site time actually work on this team?”

Don’t volunteer:

  • “I’m totally flexible”, if you aren’t. The mismatch can surface in the first engagement.
  • The details of your family or health. A limit and a one-line reason is enough.

The free lesson on travel, location and on-site time shows how to read the posting’s travel line before the call. For what the weeks on site feel like, read what FDE travel is really like, then rehearse with the travel question.

Pay expectations: what to say and what not to volunteer

What it checks. Whether your expectations and their band overlap before they spend interviewer hours on you. Your job is to confirm the overlap without setting your own ceiling.

Ask first. In some places you’re entitled to the answer: California’s Labor Code, section 432.3, bars employers from seeking your salary history and requires them to give an applicant the pay scale on reasonable request. That’s California law, not a rule everywhere, and not legal advice. Google says it includes salary ranges in job postings where local pay law requires them. Source 7Our hiring process - Google CareersPublisherGoogleSource typecompany hiring page If the posting has a range, you already have something to point to.

One candidate in Europe reported, in June 2026, that the recruiter for Anthropic’s Applied AI Architect role described two base salaries and no option to negotiate base. Source 1Applied AI Architect AnthropicPublisherBlind (teamblind.com)Source typecandidate report on Blind If you hear that, level becomes the lever, and the next section matters more.

Say something like this:

“Before I give you a number, can you share the range for this role, and the level you’re hiring at?”

If the band works: “That works for me. Where I land in it should follow from the level the interviews support, so I’d like to settle the exact number at offer stage.”

If they press for a number: “Based on the posted range, I’d expect a base in [the range you checked against the posting], depending on level and the whole package, including equity.”

If there’s no posted range and they won’t share one: “I’d rather not guess against a band I can’t see. If you tell me the level, I’ll tell you straight away whether we’re in the same place.” If they still insist, give a range whose bottom is your real floor, tied to a level.

Don’t volunteer:

  • your current pay; redirect to this role’s range (in California, the employer isn’t allowed to ask);
  • a single number, which becomes your ceiling;
  • an offer you don’t have.

We keep pay figures in one place: the FDE salary guide has the posted ranges, with dates and what each covers. Rehearse with the compensation expectations question.

For the harder follow-ups, see ‘What are your salary expectations?’ An FDE answer that doesn’t cost you money.

Level and other processes

These two often arrive together, near the end, once the recruiter is planning next steps.

Level: what it checks. Which band you’re in, and which bar the loop tests you against. Answer from scope, not years.

“Before I answer, is this role open at more than one level? I’d put myself at senior, which your posting calls Senior FDE. The evidence: I owned our integration service end to end, and I’m the engineer who gets sent when a key customer escalates. Staff, as I understand it, means setting direction across teams for a long stretch, and I’ve done that for one quarter. How does your ladder separate them?”

Don’t volunteer a lower level to seem safe; it hands the recruiter a lower anchor before anyone has interviewed you. The level question shows how to build the evidence.

Other processes: what it checks. How fast to move, and how likely you are to accept.

“I’m in two other processes: a final round next week, and a technical screen I’ve passed. No offers yet. This is my first choice because I’d own deployments end to end here. How many steps are left on your side?”

Don’t volunteer:

  • a deadline that doesn’t exist;
  • company names you promised to keep private;
  • “nowhere else”, if that stops being true in a fortnight.

The full framework for this one is on the other processes question, which is in Pro, and Pro starts with a free trial.

Questions to ask the recruiter

The end of the call is yours. Recruiters know the process better than any page, so ask for the details you’ll prepare against:

  • “What are the remaining rounds, and what does each one test?”
  • “Which rounds are live coding, and can I use AI tools in any of them?”
  • “Which levels is this role open at, and what’s the band for each?”
  • “How much of the job is on site right now, and where are the current customers?”
  • “Who will I meet next, and what is their role?”
  • “How long does each step take on your side?”

Write the answers down during the call, and email the recruiter a short summary the same day. If a detail is wrong, you’ll hear about it before it costs you a round. For the later rounds’ questions, see questions to ask your FDE interviewer.

Before the call

  • Reread the posting: title, travel line, pay range and level.
  • Rehearse your background answer against a timer, from bullet points.
  • Write one sentence for why FDE and one for why this company.
  • Decide your travel limit and how you’ll say it.
  • Know the posted range and your floor, and don’t say either first.
  • Pick the level you’ll claim and two pieces of scope evidence for it.
  • List where your other processes stand, with real dates only.
  • Have your questions for the recruiter written out.

Tonight, record yourself answering the first five questions in the table above, one take each, under a minute. All five are free in the bank, starting with the background answer. Listen back once, cut every sentence that would fit any company, and the “quick chat” becomes the easiest round you’ll have.

GlossaryForward deployed engineerA software engineer who builds and ships production systems inside a customer’s problem and environment, accountable to that customer’s outcome.More on Forward deployed engineerGlossaryForward deployed software engineerPalantir’s title for its FDE role, called Delta internally; OpenAI and EY also post FDSE titles, each with its own duties.More on Forward deployed software engineerGlossaryAgentA system in which a model chooses steps and tool calls to complete a task, within limits the design sets.More on Agent

Questions people ask

What do candidates report being asked in an FDE recruiter screen?

Candidates report questions about experience, motivation and fit. One candidate reported, in June 2026, that the screen for Anthropic’s Applied AI Architect role, an Applied AI role rather than FDE, was an easy conversation about experience and motivation. Another candidate wrote, in September 2026, that the screen for a Cognition Deployed Engineer role checks whether you can fit a fast-paced environment.Source 1Applied AI Architect AnthropicPublisherBlind (teamblind.com)Source typecandidate report on BlindSource 2Cognition AI Forward Deployed Engineer Interview ExperiencePublisherAced (formerly Exponent)Source typecandidate’s personal write-up

Should I give a number when the recruiter asks my salary expectations?

You do not have to lead with one. Ask for the range first: Google, for example, says it includes salary ranges in postings where local law requires them. If pressed, give a range you have checked against the posting and say it depends on level and the whole package.Source 7Our hiring process - Google CareersPublisherGoogleSource typecompany hiring page

How long do candidates report the FDE recruiter screen lasting?

One Palantir FDSE candidate reported, in November 2024, a 30-minute phone call with the recruiter, and one Google FDE candidate reported, in July 2026, a recruiter screen of about 35 minutes. Leave free time after it on your calendar in case the call runs over.Source 3Palantir Interview Process... So Far, FDSE 2024 (post by u/kircher32245)PublisherReddit r/csMajorsSource typecandidate report on RedditSource 5Need help in preparation for Google Forward Deployed Engineer(FDE) interview (post by u/Wonderful-Ad6418)PublisherReddit r/leetcodeSource typecandidate report on RedditSource 6Need help in preparation for Google Forward Deployed Engineer(FDE) interview (comment by u/Wonderful-Ad6418)PublisherReddit r/leetcodeSource typecandidate report on Reddit

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