Application:

The overall process took around 4 months with 6 rounds of interviews. The recruiter was very pleasant and helpful.

Interview:

The first was a telephonic coding round where I was asked to solve 3 questions (EMC) via CoderPad. These were standard and easy questions. I was then moved forward for an in-person interview and was greeted very well. I needed to code for one simple SQL and one complex PL/SQL question (be prepared to write on a wall). The first and second-round interviewers were very good and attentive to every detail I discussed, hinting at presenting the code with proper syntax as they needed to present documented proof. Finally, I was invited for an onsite interview to finish the process, which was scheduled after 4 weeks. I felt this process was very slow as they took time to align interviewer schedules.

Onsite Interview:

The first round was behavioral, pretty decent with standard questions and a SQL query. The second was an application design round. It was a very interactive round and did not feel like an interview at any point; I never knew how 45 minutes passed. I felt the interviewer was very impressed by his firm handshake and willingness to talk more on the same topic, but was bound by time. I had lunch with a senior team member (I felt he was a manager/track lead). We had an impressive discussion about their tech stack and future roadmap, and he inquired about my areas of interest and personal targets.

This was followed by 2 rounds of technical interviews to solve challenges using PL/SQL. This is where I felt the interviewers were very unprepared and were searching/thinking for questions to ask. I was happy to solve the challenges but was surprised when I was asked to write code for an algorithm for which they lacked clarity. Moreover, the final technical interviewer was not even interested in having a conversation while I was trying to explain my approach to writing a SQL query or function for the problem. He was busy typing on his laptop with his head down and showed the least interest in interviewing me.

I was having a positive experience until lunch, but after the 2 rounds of technical interviews, I felt this interview was just a formality and they never had the intention to hire me.

I received negative feedback the very next week of the interview with a reason of insufficient technical skills.

Overall, though I initially felt bad about losing a chance to work in a challenging environment (at least for what Facebook is known for), I digested the fact that my interview was more of a formality to reject me, and the hiring manager must have already had someone else ready for the role.

But in the end, I was happy I could convince 5 people with my experience, even though I haven't been interviewed in the last 6 years, and I feel pity for the 2 interviewers.

Just concentrate on your basics and don't expect crazy complex questions. Questions will be simple but tricky, testing your knowledge and experience. Keep solving challenges/algorithms from any coding blogs (don't restrict yourself to a specific tech stack; solve challenges from all tech stacks). I feel this is definitely a secret to success. All the best, guys.

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