Increff | SDE1(Backend) | Bangalore | Sept-2024 [Offer]
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.