Round 1: Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA)
Questions:
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Problem 1: This question involved using maps, where the key was a string and the value was a list. The solution required using binary search to find the answer. Had to implement binary search myself (using upper_bound or lower_bound was not encouraged).
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Problem 2: Given a numeric string and a number, the task was to remove
kdigits from the string so that the resulting number would be the smallest possible.
Difficulty: Easy
Experience: This was a straightforward DSA round, and the interviewers were supportive and provided helpful hints as needed.
Candidate's Approach
No approach provided.
Interviewer's Feedback
No feedback provided.
Round 2: Database
Questions:
- Describe the project I am currently working on, focusing on design choices and the tech stack used.
- Questions around PostgreSQL concurrency control, isolation levels, locks, replication, and scaling reads and writes.
- Questions about the reactive stack, including how Netty and R2DBC work.
- Classic question: How would you implement a ticket booking feature for BookMyShow on scale? How would you ensure that if a person selects a seat, others are not able to see it?
Difficulty: Medium
Experience: This round was intense, with interviewers probing deeply into my answers, making me feel the pressure of their technical expertise.
Candidate's Approach
No approach provided.
Interviewer's Feedback
No feedback provided.
Round 3: HLD
Questions:
- Design an alerting and monitoring system like Prometheus and Grafana.
- Define the scope of the system, including NFRs and FRs, estimate scale and database storage layer.
- Discuss consistency vs availability.
- How will time-series data be stored and in what format?
- When a new pod comes up, how will the Prometheus server know to start scraping metrics from this pod?
- How will you maintain an active web connection with many clients at the same time to scrape metrics?
Difficulty: Hard
Experience: This was a fun round with open-ended discussions, focusing on my ability to think through solutions and the pros and cons of each approach.
Candidate's Approach
No approach provided.
Interviewer's Feedback
No feedback provided.
Round 4: Hiring Manager
Questions:
- IPL is coming; how would you prep your system so that everything runs smoothly?
- Explain the SDLC process you follow to develop a feature.
- What’s the most challenging problem you have solved in your previous job? What was your contribution?
- How do you keep yourself updated with new technologies?
- What’s the procedure you follow to solve any incident/bug in your company?
- Questions based on my resume.
Experience: The hiring manager was humble and focused on understanding my mindset and how I would handle challenging situations. This was a 40-45 minute discussion with no technical questions.
Candidate's Approach
No approach provided.
Interviewer's Feedback
No feedback provided.
Round 5: HR
Questions:
- Tell me about your childhood, schooling, college experiences, and how you developed an interest in coding.
- Reasons for wanting to leave my current company and my perspective on my current colleagues.
- Scenario-based questions:
- Tell me about a situation where you went above and beyond to complete a task.
- If I call your manager today, what strengths and weaknesses would they tell me?
- Tell me about a situation where you failed, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Experience: This was an enjoyable round, lasting about 40-45 minutes, with a friendly discussion that included recommendations for places to visit in Mumbai.
Candidate's Approach
No approach provided.
Interviewer's Feedback
No feedback provided.