Meta E5 | Pass

Phone Screen

My initial phone screen included two coding problems: 'Find local minima' and a 'Valid Palindrome variant.' I made a minor error on the first question, leading to an incorrect answer. Despite this, the interviewer was very gracious and passed me through, which I consider extremely lucky and humbling.

Coding 1

This was my weakest round. I was asked about 'insert-into-a-sorted-circular-linked-list' and 'vertical-order-traversal-of-a-binary-tree.' For the second problem, I had to correct a bug after the interviewer pointed it out. However, I managed to complete both problems within the allotted time. I felt this round was, at best, a 'Lean Hire.'

Coding 2

This was my strongest performance. I tackled 'nested-list-weight-sum' and a 'basic-calculator variant.' I demonstrated great communication, delivered an optimized solution, and had bug-free code. I felt confident this was a 'Strong Hire' round.

System Design

The main problem was designing 'Top K heavy hitters.' I addressed all aspects, but we ran out of time before I could dive deeper into one specific question. I also felt the interviewer might have veered off-topic, and I had to guide the discussion back. Overall, I thought this round was a 'Hire' or 'Lean Hire' for E5.

Behavioral

This round focused on Meta's standard Leadership Principles. The questions were very pointed, and I answered over 25 questions, including follow-ups, in 40 minutes. My examples were all relevant to E5/E6 scope and based on genuine experiences, which helped with the follow-up questions. I strongly believe in being honest in this round as interviewers can discern authenticity.

Overall, I initially expected a reject for E5 or a downlevel to E4 due to my performance in Coding-1 and my mixed feelings about System Design. However, the recruiter contacted me the very next day to confirm an IC5 offer and the next steps for team matching.