Summary
I successfully interviewed for an SDE1 (Backend) role at Increff in Bangalore, securing an offer. The process involved three rounds: a DSA round featuring a problem similar to Koko Eating Bananas, a detailed Low-Level Design session on an inventory management system, and a final Hiring Manager discussion covering system design principles and my experience.
Full Experience
I recently interviewed for an SDE1 (Backend) position at Increff in Bangalore, bringing 1 year and 4 months of experience as a Backend SDE. The interview process was comprehensive, consisting of three distinct rounds.
Round 1 (DSA)
This round primarily focused on Data Structures and Algorithms. The interviewer presented two medium-level LeetCode-style questions. The first problem was quite similar to 'Koko Eating Bananas,' which I successfully solved. The second question involved the sliding window technique. Although I couldn't implement the complete solution during the round, I was able to clearly explain my approach, which the interviewer found satisfactory. Following the DSA problems, we transitioned into a discussion on Database Management System (DBMS) concepts, with a particular emphasis on database locking.Round 2 (Low-Level Design - LLD)
Initially scheduled for 1.5 hours, this round extended to 2 hours. I was given a Java-based inventory management application that had several missing methods and bugs. My first task was to identify and rectify the existing bugs. After successfully fixing them, I proceeded to implement the functionalities of the missing methods as per the interviewer's request. Once the basic implementation was finalized, the interviewer challenged me to optimize the algorithms I had used. We also briefly revisited database locking concepts during this extensive discussion.Round 3 (Hiring Manager Round)
This 1.5-hour round began with introductions, after which we discussed my current tech stack and responsibilities at my previous company. The conversation then deeply explored database locking and various query optimization techniques. The interviewer specifically questioned my understanding of the@Transaction annotation in Spring Boot. This was followed by a detailed discussion on SOLID principles and common design patterns.
The culmination of these rounds resulted in a positive outcome.
Interview Questions (2)
The interviewer presented a Data Structures and Algorithms problem that was similar in nature to the classic 'Koko Eating Bananas' problem. The goal was to find an optimal rate to consume items within a given time constraint.
I was presented with an existing Java-based inventory management application that contained several bugs and missing methods. My tasks included identifying and fixing the existing bugs, implementing the required missing functionalities, and then optimizing the algorithms used within the system. We also had a brief discussion on database locking.
Summary
I interviewed at Increff for an SDE-1 (UI) role, undergoing an online test, a DSA + JavaScript technical round, and a Hiring Manager round. I was ultimately rejected due to a perceived lack of React.js experience and minor JavaScript syntax errors during the interview.
Full Experience
I had the opportunity to interview at Increff for an SDE-1 (UI) position after applying directly through their careers page. The HR informed me that the process would consist of three rounds: an online test followed by two technical interviews.
Regarding my background, I hold a B.Tech degree from a Tier 1 NIT and currently work as an SDE1 at a startup, bringing 14 months of experience to the table.
Round 1: Online Test
This round included two DSA problems (one easy, one medium), a frontend task that required displaying API data in a table, and 10-12 MCQ questions. I managed to solve the DSA problems but couldn't fully complete the frontend task.A week later, I received a call from HR, informing me that I had been selected for the interview rounds.
Round 2: DSA + JavaScript
The first technical interview began with a DSA question, where I was asked to solve the Asteroid Collision problem. I successfully solved it, and we had a detailed discussion about my approach. Following this, the interviewer posed several JavaScript-related questions, covering topics like the differences betweenvar, let, and const, an explanation of promises and their mechanics, and code snippets involving setTimeout and promises where I had to determine the execution order. I was also asked about the distinction between == and === operators. There were a few more questions, but I can't recall them specifically.Round 3: Hiring Manager Round
In this round, I was tasked with writing a function similar to the T9 keyboard's predictive text input. The problem was quite similar to the Letter Combinations of a Phone Number LeetCode problem. After completing it, I was given a few variations to handle different scenarios. Another question involved working with JavaScript lists, where I needed to write a function to remove an item and filter data from an array.Feedback:
Unfortunately, I was rejected after the final round. The feedback I received indicated that I lacked working experience in React.js, and during the interview, I made some syntax errors in JavaScript, likely because I wasn’t actively practicing it at the time.Interview Questions (7)
Explain the key differences between var, let, and const keywords in JavaScript, including their scope, hoisting, and re-declaration/re-assignment behavior.
Describe JavaScript Promises, including their purpose, states (pending, fulfilled, rejected), and how to create and handle them (e.g., with then, catch, finally).
Given specific JavaScript code snippets that involve setTimeout and Promises, analyze and determine the precise order in which various parts of the code will execute, considering the event loop and microtask/macrotask queues.
Explain the fundamental differences between the == (loose equality) and === (strict equality) operators in JavaScript, providing examples of when each might be used and the implications of type coercion for ==.
Write a function that generates predictive text input, similar to a T9 keyboard. This problem is similar to LeetCode's Letter Combinations of a Phone Number.
Write a JavaScript function that performs two operations on an array: first, it should remove a specified item from the array, and second, it should filter the remaining elements based on a given condition.
Preparation Tips
My preparation primarily involved leveraging my academic background from a Tier 1 NIT and experience as an SDE1 at a startup. I found my DSA skills sufficient for the online test's problems. However, it became apparent during the interviews that my active practice in JavaScript was lacking, resulting in syntax errors, and I did not have hands-on experience with React.js, which was cited as a reason for my rejection.