Freshworks Interview Experience - Lead Software Engineer- BackEnd
Summary
I interviewed for a Lead Software Engineer- BackEnd role at Freshworks, successfully navigating five rounds, including technical DSA, system design, bar raiser, hiring manager, and cultural fit, ultimately receiving an offer.
Full Experience
My interview journey at Freshworks for a Lead Software Engineer- BackEnd position was thorough, consisting of five distinct rounds.
Round 1: Technical Interview
The first interviewer was very friendly. We started with a discussion about my previous experience and projects. Following this, we touched upon a few system design concepts. For the Data Structures and Algorithms part, two questions were asked. One was a relatively easy problem, and the other was a classic LRU cache design and implementation.
Round 2: System Design
This round again began with a deep dive into my past experiences and project discussions. The core task was to design a social media platform similar to Facebook. We had an extensive discussion covering Functional Requirements (FR), Non-Functional Requirements (NFR), database design choices, and API creations. The interviewer thoroughly explored various concepts and we discussed the trade-offs for each proposed approach.
Round 3: Bar Raiser Round
The interviewer in this round was also friendly. They inquired about my existing projects and their High-Level Design (HLD), prompting discussions on potential improvements. I was then given a specific scenario for which I had to design a database, discuss the trade-offs of my design choices, and write the necessary SQL queries. Another DSA question followed, which was a variation of the famous 'Buy and Sell Stocks' problem from LeetCode. Additionally, I faced questions related to multi-threading and Spring Boot.
Round 4: Hiring Manager Round
This was a relatively casual discussion, with not much focus on deep technical aspects.
Round 5: Cultural Fit Round
The final round focused on cultural fit. I was advised to be well-prepared for this round, as many candidates are reportedly rejected at this stage. Overall, the interview process went well for me, and I was fortunate enough to receive an offer from Freshworks.
Interview Questions (4)
Design and implement a Least Recently Used (LRU) cache.
Design a social media platform similar to Facebook. This involved discussing functional and non-functional requirements, database schema design, API creation, and analyzing trade-offs for various architectural approaches.
Given a specific scenario, design the appropriate database schema, discuss the trade-offs of the design choices made, and write the required SQL queries.
A variation of the classic 'Buy and Sell Stocks' LeetCode problem was presented.
Preparation Tips
My preparation involved a focused study on Data Structures & Algorithms, comprehensive system design concepts, and behavioral interview questions. For the cultural fit round, I ensured I was thoroughly prepared, as it was highlighted as a critical elimination stage where many candidates face rejection.