okay so i just accepted a new grad SWE offer from Salesforce and i want to write the thing i wish existed when i was prepping. a lot of the resources out there are old or are for senior candidates.
the process for new grad / associate SWE:
it usually starts with an online assessment (OA) on HackerRank. two coding problems in 90 minutes, roughly easy-medium difficulty on Leetcode scale. they're looking for correctness and passing test cases. if you're applying to the associate SWE role specifically, the OA is the first real filter.
if you pass the OA you get a phone screen. this is another coding round, typically 45 minutes, one medium problem. they use CoderPad. it's live so you need to talk through your approach before you code. a lot of people freeze on this because they're used to silent OAs. practice talking out loud.
if that goes well it's an onsite (or virtual onsite): 2-3 rounds. for new grad it was: one more coding round (two medium problems, 60 min) one behavioral round (STAR method, bring 3-4 good stories about projects, teamwork, and a time you failed/learned) sometimes a team-fit call with a potential manager
what actually matters for new grad: leetcode medium is the ceiling. you don't need hard problems. arrays, hashmaps, trees, basic graph traversal, two-pointer, sliding window. know these cold. behavioral stories matter more than people think at this level. they can't differentiate much on coding between new grads so culture and communication stand out. they like candidates who've done internships (obviously) but they also hire from people without them. your project work and how you talk about it matters.
timeline: it took me about 6 weeks from application to offer. the OA came pretty fast (2 weeks), phone screen a week later, onsite a week and a half after that, offer a few days after.
comp for new grad associate SWE in 2026: my offer was base $130k + ~$50k RSU over 4 years + $15k sign-on. that's for their SF-area offices (remote hybrid). not FAANG level but competitive for enterprise SaaS.
good luck. it's doable.