My interview process for the SDE-3 position at F5 Networks involved four distinct rounds.

Round 1 – Coding

This round focused on a data structures and algorithms problem. I was given an unsorted array of positive and negative numbers and tasked with rearranging it to have alternating positive and negative numbers, ensuring the relative order was maintained and the array started with a positive number. We also had a discussion on various optimizations for the solution. Additionally, there were questions related to Operating Systems, Linux, and Networking.

Round 2 – Coding

The second coding round required me to implement a Worker Pool Pattern using GoLang. The core idea was to design a system where calling code generates tasks that are placed in a queue, and idle workers then pick up and process these tasks from the queue as they become available. This round also included discussions on OS, Databases, Linux, Kafka, Redis, and Networking.

Round 3 – Managerial

This round was a deep dive into my experience and technical knowledge. We covered behavioral questions focusing on ownership, conflict handling, leadership, and my current projects. Technically, the discussion ranged across various areas including GoLang specifics like goroutines, channels, concurrency, interfaces, and error handling. We also discussed distributed systems and microservices architecture, database performance tuning and indexing, Redis caching and data consistency, Kafka (message ordering, partitions, offsets), Elasticsearch (shards, replicas, query optimization), and Networking fundamentals such as TCP/UDP, DNS, and load balancing.

Round 4 – HR

The final round was with HR, primarily for salary negotiation. I didn't have a strong counter-offer, which limited my options somewhat.

I received the confirmation of selection about a week after the interviews and the official offer letter followed 2-3 weeks later.