Initial Outreach & Online Assessment (OA)
Questions:
- Sliding Window problem (Easy-Medium)
- Binary Search problem (Easy-Medium)
- N-ary Tree DP problem (Slightly harder)
Round 1: Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA) – Coding Round
Questions:
Question
- Meeting Rooms – Solved using Line Sweep Algorithm (Sweep Line Method).
- Generate Valid Parentheses – Used an unconventional approach with bitmasking, where I generated all subsets of a bitmask and validated each one.
Candidate's Approach
- For the Meeting Rooms problem, I implemented the Line Sweep Algorithm to efficiently determine if a meeting can be scheduled without conflicts.
- For the Generate Valid Parentheses problem, I utilized bitmasking to generate all possible combinations of parentheses and validated each combination to ensure it was valid.
Interviewer's Feedback
Positive feedback was received, and I was moved to the next round.
Round 2: System Design (LLD) – Taken by a Technical Lead
Questions:
Question
Design Splitwise (Expense-sharing app).
Candidate's Approach
- I designed an extensible architecture for the Splitwise application.
- I effectively explained my design choices and trade-offs during the interview.
- I identified and suggested a better design during the discussion, showcasing my critical thinking skills.
Interviewer's Feedback
The feedback was positive, and I was informed by HR the same evening that I moved on to the Hiring Manager round.
Round 3: Hiring Manager (HM) – High-Level Design (HLD) + Discussion
Questions:
Question
Design a Coupon Service for an E-commerce Platform.
Candidate's Approach
- I clarified requirements effectively before starting the design.
- I designed REST APIs and the database schema for the coupon service.
- I discussed scalability, optimizations, and trade-offs during the design process.
Interviewer's Feedback
The experience was good, and the feedback was positive.
Offer & Final Thoughts
Outcome: Received the offer within a day after the HM round!
What I liked about the process:
- Well-structured and efficient – The entire process was completed within 3 days.
- Great interviewers – They provided constructive feedback during the interviews and were open to discussing different approaches.
- Fair evaluation – Even though I couldn’t complete the full code in the LLD round, my approach and design thinking mattered more.
Final Tips for Future Candidates:
- Brush up on DSA topics like sliding window, binary search, and DP on trees.
- Practice LLD problems (Splitwise, Parking Lot, etc.) and focus on writing clean, modular code.
- Be prepared for HLD discussions – focus on APIs, DB schema, scalability considerations.
- Communication matters! Even if you can’t finish the code, explaining your thought process and trade-offs can still get you through.