My interview experience at Indeed began with a technical screening conducted by Karat.

The first segment focused on conceptual knowledge, where I was able to choose two areas for questioning. I selected HTML/CSS and REST APIs.

This portion was straightforward, featuring questions such as:

• "What is the color of the `` tag?" when presented with HTML.
• "How would you create an endpoint for a new inventory item?" regarding REST APIs.

I felt this initial segment was appropriately aligned with a Software Engineer I role.

However, the interview then transitioned to a live coding section, which presented a significant leap in difficulty. I was tasked with solving LeetCode-style problems, aiming to complete at least two out of three within an hour.

The initial problem was a greedy algorithm question, comparable to a LeetCode medium or harder, and I couldn't find a similar problem online, suggesting it might have been an original question.

The stark contrast in difficulty between the conceptual and coding rounds was surprising. I genuinely wondered if there was a mix-up with questions intended for a more senior role.

I spent the entire hour on the first problem and unfortunately couldn't pass all the test cases.

Can you please tell me about yourself?