I received a call from a recruiter, followed by a phone interview. The interviewer asked a couple of questions about algorithms. Somehow, they weren't grasping my explanations. Perhaps the phone connection was hindering the conversation. Nevertheless, I was invited for an on-site interview.

The on-site interview lasted three hours – a complete waste of my time. The first interviewer arrived, surprisingly different from who was expected as the other person didn't show up. They asked me three algorithmic questions. They seemed satisfied with my answers, as I suggested alternative solutions to what they had predetermined. My solutions were very close in terms of time and complexity.

Next, an UI person came in. They had 10 years of experience in plain HTML/JSP static pages, with no expertise in hardcore JavaScript. They kept asking about my experience and didn't even have UI-related questions. I believe they panicked when I mentioned that I tech-lead UI teams both on-site and offshore. Instead, they asked me a couple of pre-prepared Java questions: "How to design a HashMap or table?" and "What do you need to implement the equals method?" Honestly, a UI person should stick to their domain.

The third person, an ex-Google employee, came in to assess general coding abilities. We had a good discussion about coding patterns and class loaders. However, it didn't matter, as the recruiter later informed me that the first two individuals didn't think I was the best fit.

I thought, "Did you guys even read the resumes before inviting me for an on-site interview?" It was a total waste of my three hours. I had no idea what they were interviewing for.

Find the Kth highest element in a given array.

Randomize an array.

In a given list of words, find matching words in the list that can be generated from the patterns of a given word.