Initially, an online assessment was taken on HackerRank, followed by interviews through Zoom Meet and CoderPad. This process was initially planned to be in-person but had to be conducted online due to GRAP-IV restrictions in Delhi.

Round-1

Implement a data structure similar to a HashMap that maps integers to integers, but with additional methods:

• get(key): Returns the value associated with the key, as in a normal hashmap.
• set(key, x): Sets the value for a given key, as in a normal hashmap.
• incr_value(s): Increments the integer value of all values in the map by s.
• incr_key(s): Increments the integer value of all keys in the map by s.

Example: If dat_str = {1: 10, 4: 12} and I call dat_str.incr_value(7), I get dat_str as {1: 17, 4: 19}. Further, if I now call dat_str.incr_key(7), I get dat_str as {8: 17, 11: 19}.

Round-2

First, the interviewer asked me about my proficiency in different programming languages, especially Java. I frankly stated that I generally use Python for my academic assignments but used Java in the summer and am comfortable with its Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts.

Seemingly satisfied with my Java skills, he proceeded with that language and presented me with the "first non-duplicate character in a string" question. Luckily, I had recently used a dictionary (or hash map) for a similar problem, so I opted for that approach. I explained my intuitive thought process: store the count of each character as it appears in the string within a hash map. Then, iterate through the hash map to find the first character whose count is 1 and return it. The interviewer approved this approach and asked me to code it.

Now, here came the twist. I was not fully prepared for Java! I even struggled to initialize a HashMap in Java. Fortunately, the interviewer was understanding, and I sought his help. Ultimately, I asked if I could switch to Python. After that point, I felt embarrassed and a bit disappointed, doubting my own confidence. He agreed, and I quickly coded my approach in Python within 3-4 minutes, passing all the given test cases.

He then asked if I could think of more test cases to verify the code's correctness, especially edge cases. I proposed 2-3 more, and he seemed pleased. However, I missed the case of an empty string input, which he pointed out I should have considered. Overall, he was satisfied, and we moved on to the system design part.

He asked about the different components of a software system and then we discussed these explicitly in the context of a heart-rate monitoring machine. We had a lengthy discussion. I lacked knowledge of design patterns or architecture but was able to explain various possible requirements and solutions, along with design approaches. He liked my thought process and even suggested areas where I could have improved. He mentioned we had 10 minutes of extra discussion time, so he was in a hurry, but he seemed generally satisfied. I was selected in the end.

Lastly, there was an HR round with a VP. He started by asking for my introduction. The round primarily consisted of resume grilling and behavioral testing. He asked about my experiences and the challenges I faced. He specifically inquired about my approach if I didn't get the role I was interested in. Although I had recently worked with LLMs, the company's focus was more on pure SDE roles (this didn't mean he lacked AI knowledge; he clearly had it and discussed it with me earlier).

In response, I replied that I generally get interested in work that is quite important, especially if it relates to the company's core backbone or has a societal impact. If I found my work uninteresting, I would suggest ways to make it more engaging or openly communicate my preferred areas of interest to my mentor or seniors.

The VP seemed quite happy with my replies, and that's how my interview concluded.