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Summary
I interviewed at Zepto for an SDE-1 role in Bengaluru in September 2024. Although I initially received an email confirming my selection after the final round, my status was unfortunately updated to "rejected" two days later by the Hiring Manager, without a clear explanation.
Full Experience
I got interviewed at Zepto for an SDE-1 position in Bengaluru in September 2024. I proactively mailed my resume to their HR department and subsequently received a call for an interview. The interview process consisted of four rounds: Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA), Low-Level Design (LLD)/High-Level Design (HLD), and a Hiring Manager (HM) round.
Before the interviews, I want to mention a bit about myself: I hold a B.Tech from a Tier 1 institution (Top 10 NIT) and currently work as an SDE1 at a startup, bringing 14 months of experience to the table.
Round 1: DSA Questions
In the first round, I was presented with two DSA problems. The first was the classic "First and Last Occurrence of an Element in Sorted Array" problem. The second question involved finding a binary string of length N that does not occur in a given array of distinct binary strings of the same length.
Round 2: Low-Level Design (LLD)
The second round focused on Low-Level Design, where I was tasked with designing an e-commerce application. This was a comprehensive discussion covering various aspects, including:
- Database schema design, elaborating on how the database would be structured.
- Identification of important services required for the application.
- Definition of API endpoints.
- Stock management, detailing how to handle stock quantity, product expiry, and updates.
- Designing the system for discount coupons, specifically addressing the addition of new coupons and scenarios where multiple coupons could be clubbed.
- Discussion on appropriate design patterns and Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) principles.
I also had to answer follow-up questions about my proposed database schema and how different parts of the system would interact.
Round 3: Hiring Manager (HM) Round
The final round, with the Hiring Manager, began with an introduction and a discussion about my current projects. The questions covered a broad range of technical and behavioral topics:
- Indexing: I had to explain indexing and differentiate its implementation and behavior between MongoDB and MySQL. This also included discussing the potential drawbacks and limitations of indexing.
- ACID Properties and CAP Theorem: My understanding of these fundamental database concepts and their implications was tested.
- Scalability: I was asked to describe how I approached making my current projects scalable.
- Metrics: The HM asked for explanations of the numbers I had mentioned in my resume, such as reducing costs by 15%, and how I had calculated these figures.
- Learning Approach: I discussed my methodology for learning new technologies and concepts.
- Motivation: Finally, I was asked about my motivation for joining Zepto, why they should hire me, my current location, and recent learnings.
The interview concluded at 3:56 PM, and I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email confirming my selection at 3:59 PM, just three minutes later. However, after two days, when I called HR for an update, she informed me that I had been rejected, as the Hiring Manager had updated my status to rejected again a couple of hours after the initial selection. I'm still unsure about the exact reason for this change in decision.
Interview Questions (9)
Another question was about finding a binary string of length N that doesn’t occur in a given array of distinct binary strings of the same length.
I was asked to design an e-commerce application. This involved detailing the database schema, identifying important services, defining API endpoints, and discussing stock management (quantity, expiry, updates) and discount coupon handling (new coupons, clubbing). We also discussed design patterns and OOP principles, and I had to explain my database schema and system interactions.
I had to explain indexing and how it differs between MongoDB and MySQL. This included discussing the drawbacks of indexing.
I was asked about my understanding of ACID properties and the CAP theorem, including their implications.
I was asked to explain how I made my current project scalable.
I had to explain numbers I provided in my resume, such as reduced costs by 15%, and how I calculated them.
I was asked about my approach to learning new technologies and concepts.
I was asked about my motivation for joining Zepto, why they should hire me, my current location, and recent learnings.