Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Interviews

My Interview Experience for the SMTS (IC3) Role at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)

1. Screening Round: I was given two random coding problems on HackerRank. They were similar to Codeforces A/B level problems and had to be solved with all test cases passing. After that, I was asked some basic questions on Distributed Systems.

Result: Got a callback within 2 days informing me that I was selected for the onsite loop rounds.

Loop Rounds Round 1 – Hiring Manager (HLD + Behavioral) This round focused deeply on my current project.

I was asked to draw and explain the system architecture.

Follow-up questions were around how I could improve it.

The last 20–25 minutes focused on behavioral questions.

Feedback: The hiring manager was quite friendly. I was able to explain everything clearly and he was satisfied.

Round 2 – SMTS (HLD + LLD on HackerRank) Started with 5–7 minutes of microservices-related questions.

Then transitioned into a HackerRank test with 3 design-related questions.

Add to Cart – Given a system design, I had to identify bottlenecks and suggest latency improvements.

BookMyShow Design – I was asked to design the API, schema, and high-level architecture.

LLD Implementation – Given an interface, I had to implement two classes.

Unfortunately, the interviewer didn’t engage much; he didn’t ask any cross-questions and it felt more like a monologue.

Concluded with one behavioral question.

Feedback: The interview felt long and a bit disconnected due to the lack of interaction.

Round 3 – PMTS (DS + HLD + Behavioral) Started with the classic Leetcode question: Find the missing number, followed by a variation where multiple numbers could be missing.

Then moved on to HLD: I was asked to design a URL Shortener Service.

Ended with one behavioral question.

Feedback: This was a smooth interview with good interaction and problem-solving discussion.

Round 4 – Bartender Round (Director of Engineering) Note: OCI “Bartender Rounds” are conducted by someone from a different team, not related to the one you’re being hired for.

Started with a detailed discussion on my current project and architecture.

Asked many follow-up and behavioral questions.

Then came the problem-solving segment: Josephus Problem.

He was very strict about time and said, “If you can solve it in the next 10 minutes, great. Otherwise, I’ll conclude the interview.”

I solved it in 6 minutes, thanks to my strong grip on recursion.

Feedback: The interviewer was a bit stern, but the round was intense and rewarding.

Round 5 – PMTS (USA-based, Technical + Behavioral) Started with my project walkthrough.

Then moved to scenario-based HLD questions.

Asked 3 behavioral questions.

Finally, I was given a custom DFS/BFS problem (not on Leetcode), which had several tricky edge cases.

Feedback: Managed to solve it successfully. The round was well-balanced between technical depth and behavioral aspects.

Final Result Got a call the very next day — I was selected!

Final Offer: Total Compensation (1st Year): ₹62 LPA

Base: ₹37 LPA

RSUs: $75,000 (vested 40-30-20-10 over 4 years)

A Note to Tier-3/Tier-4 College Students and Job Seekers To all the hard-working folks from Tier-3 or Tier-4 colleges — I started my career at ₹2.36 LPA. After 2 years of learning and upskilling, I moved to OpenText with ₹16 LPA. Now, after another 2 years, I’ve landed at OCI with ₹62 LPA.

What changed? Not my background. Just my effort.

If you’re dreaming big, don’t stop. Work smart, stay consistent. Time will change for you. Since I didn’t have seniors to guide me in college, I’m now planning to mentor others — free of cost — who are in the same situation.

It's my way of paying it forward.

TL;DR

OCI reached out, interviews were technical and fair, but the candidate experience was poor — long delays, a no-show from hiring manager, sudden rejection email (later reversed), and zero communication after follow-ups. After 4 rounds and days of preparation and waiting, I chose to walk away due to how the process was handled.

📅 March 1st Week

OCI recruiter reached out to me. We discussed my experience, the role, and I was sent a link to apply and schedule the first screening round.

🔹 Round-by-Round Breakdown

Round 1 (Screening - 1.5 hours) | March 12, 2025

Content:

• First, I was asked to solve a design problem using the Factory Design Pattern. It was a straightforward implementation, I completed it within 10 minutes. We ran the code live on HackerRank, and the interviewer seemed satisfied.
• Then we moved on to a DSA problem — it was very similar to this one: Number of Matching Subsequences.
• I managed to solve the problem, but we had a long discussion about the time and space complexities.
• Afterward, I was asked a few Java-related questions, though I can’t recall the exact ones.
• At the end, the interviewer gave me time to ask questions. We discussed Oracle's cloud capabilities, product maturity, and how it stacks up against competitors.
• The interviewer's attitude was neutral — neither particularly encouraging nor dismissive.

Issue:
No update for 3 weeks after this round.

Action:
I followed up on March 30, asking for a status update.

Response:
They got back to me on April 1, confirming the process was still open and asked for my availability for the loop rounds, which we then scheduled back to back.

Round 2 – Loop Round 1 (April 9, 1 hour)

Type: DSA + Project Discussion

• I joined the call but the interviewer wasn’t there initially. I got a call asking me to wait ~20 minutes because they were in a meeting.
• Project Discussion: Walked through my current project — architecture, scale, and decisions.
• DSA Question:
  - Reorganize String – LeetCode
  - I hadn’t seen it before, solved it with some trial and error. My first solution failed a test case, rewrote it using a heap-based approach and passed all cases. Discussed time and space complexity.
• Behavioral:
  - “What is the most complex task you’ve handled so far?”
• Questions I Asked:
  - Asked about OCI's market positioning and long-term strategy. Interviewer gave thoughtful and enthusiastic answers.
• Experience: Overall good discussion and positive tone.
• Issue: Interviewer seemed unaware of previous round or JD — no handover between rounds.

Round 3 – Loop Round 2 (April 10, 1.5 hours)

Type: DSA + Cloud Design + Deep Tech

• Topics Covered:
  - Caching strategies & cache invalidation
  - Hashing techniques
  - Custom exceptions in Java
  - REST API best practices
• DSA Problem:
  - Given an employee's joining/leaving date (MMYYYY) and salary breakdown (base, joining bonus, stocks), calculate total CTC year-wise.
  - Solved with edge-case handling in under 10 minutes.
• Behavioral:
  - “What technical skills have you learned outside work?”
  - “What’s the biggest technical highlight of your career?”
• Experience: Interviewer was friendly, transparent about their team and work, answered all my questions (I asked a lot).
• Outcome: I felt this round went really well.
• Issue: Just a few minutes later, I received a rejection email, with no feedback.
• I emailed the recruiter and was told the specific job was closed, but I could continue for similar roles.

Round 4 – Loop Round 3 (April 11, 1 hour)

Type: System Design and Behavioral with Hiring Manager
Outcome: Interviewer no-show

• I joined on time and waited 25 minutes, no one joined.
• I sent an email asking for clarification — no reply.
• Waited another 3.5 hours, still no response. Exhausted and frustrated, I dropped an email stating I’d like to withdraw from the process.
• Still got no response.

Round 5 – Loop Round 4 (April 11, 2 PM)

Type: Behavioral + Leadership
Outcome: I didn't join

• Since I had already received a rejection and last interviewer didn't bother to join and there is no communication from their side and I sent my withdrawal email, so, I didn't join the 2 PM call.
• At 2:15 PM, I got a call from a recruiter saying two interviewers were waiting for me. I told them to check their email — I'd already walked away.
• They offered to reschedule Round 4, but I respectfully declined and explained that I no longer wished to be considered.

Why I Walked Away

After spending significant time and effort on the process (and taking 4 days off from work), I had certain expectations — not of outcome, but of professionalism and respect. What happened instead:

• I had to follow up after every round
• I was sent a rejection email after a strong round, with no explanation — later reversed
• Hiring manager didn’t show up for the round — and I received zero communication
• Repeated signs of poor coordination and lack of respect for my time

I work hard, I value interviewers’ time, and I expect the same in return. This wasn’t a rash decision — it came after multiple red flags. I finally chose to walk away. If you’re interviewing here, be prepared technically — but also manage expectations about how the process might unfold.

Also, ChatGPT helped me to polish this document. :)