Summary
I interviewed for a Lead Software Engineer position at CVS Health in January 2025. The process included a technical phone screen and a subsequent technical interview covering SQL, Python programming, object-oriented concepts, and AI principles. I am currently awaiting the final result.
Full Experience
Technical Phone Screen (30 minutes)
My interview process began with a 30-minute technical phone screen. During this initial call, the interviewer primarily focused on discussing my resume, asking about my experience with each skill listed in the job posting. I also had to explain my reasons for looking for a new job. Towards the end, HR provided some information about their benefits.
1st Technical Interview (1 hour)
The first technical interview was scheduled as a video interview, but the interviewer chose not to turn on their camera. This session was heavily focused on specific technical questions across various domains.
Interview Questions (6)
In SQL, given a table containing duplicate rows, how would you retrieve only the distinct or unique rows without using the DISTINCT function?
Write a function to count the number of vowels (a, e, i, o, u, case-insensitive) in a given string. The function should return the total count.
Write a function to compare two strings and check if they are anagrams of each other. The function should return True if they are anagrams, otherwise False.
Explain what the Singleton pattern is in Python. Describe its purpose, how it's implemented, and its advantages or disadvantages.
How does garbage collection work in Python? Explain the mechanisms Python uses to manage memory and reclaim unused objects.
What parameters or settings do you use to specify if you want an AI model (e.g., a large language model) to be more creative or more predictive/deterministic in its output?