Failed google phone screen w/ 220LC. How to improve?
There wasn't any feedback other than that I can apply again in 12 months and that 70% of google engineers have been through the process multiple times (this is what he said which is a bit shocking) Was asked this easy question verbatim https://leetcode.com/problems/backspace-string-compare/solution/ I intentionally slowed myself down a little bit and calmly explained my approach to all the problems asked. I implemented the most obvious solution first (equivalent to first solution on LC w/ stack and O(N) space). Had a really stupid bug in the code (dumb logic error with the stack condition), the interviewer asked me to find it and i did so within seconds. In total i was done this question in 8 minutes (maybe that is too slow given the easy difficulty?) Next question was a follow up asking to solve it in O(1) space. I spent a few minutes thinking about it. The interviewer was very chatty and eager to chime in. I think she may have dropped a subtle hint by saying "how about you look at this input example?". So after a few minutes I realized you had to go right to left then described the algorithm verbally. I then mentioned that i needed a minute to plan the logistics of the code out (often i'll spend a little bit thinking about the easiest/best way to implement something after i have the algo). The interviewer then gave me an unsolicited piece of advice hinting that i should essentially create a subroutine to make the code easier. I coded up the solution, but in my subroutine i missed an edge case. The interviewer mentioned this at the end. I found and fixed the missed edge case within 30 seconds. Then she asked how i would test these functions and i described some input. Then the interviewer said that she didn't have any more questions. I think it was about 25min into the interview at this point. Interview then wrapped up after the questions phase. I got the rejection call a few days later. In order to improve i really need to know what went wrong in this interview. Clearly there were bugs, but was i also too slow? If the main issue was the bugs then I can invest a little more time during and after the coding process to more thoroughly check my work so that I can catch the bugs and not the interviewer. On LC i noticed I am a little too quick to hit run and submit i should probably aim to increase my submission success rate and spend more time double checking things. If the issue is speed - then maybe i need to talk less and do less explaining of thought process and just code quicker. Or maybe it was the hints being held against me? I felt like i really didn't need those hints and I would have done the same even with a totally silent interviewer. Maybe the hints held me back especially since it was an easy question. What should I do to improve?
Leetcode
Be like this guy https://us.teamblind.com/s/LjO3O5mB
How long was the interview session in total? A tech interview is not just you writing the code. It's about communication. If you don't even want the hints, then how are you going to work with them if you are employed. The more important question to ask yourself is that did you clarify everything before you start jumping into code? Did you think of all test/edge cases before you write the code? Did you think about complexity? Are you writing clean code and easy to understand logic? Are your explaining clearly and did you check with the interviewer to see if the person understands your ideas?
I deliberately slowed myself down and took the time to explain literally everything i was doing. I believe my code was very clean and very easy to understand. The second solution i provided, for example, i believe was significantly easier to understand than the O(1) solution provided in the official LC solution.
My questions were actually rhetorical. Just something to think about for interviews. Sounds like you are confident about the answer you gave. Then it might just be the interviewer was having a bad day.
I think that’s unreasonable. I’ve noticed that female interviewers seem to expect absolute perfection during interviews (not at Google). I was rejected by a female interviewer after solving two medium problems correctly. The fact they she was eager to chime in just means that she wants to show that she’s better than you. Complain to recruiter and make your case. At the very least they should give you another round. Your mistakes were trivial and you corrected them. There can be no innovation in an environment that demands you to always be error free beyond reason.
You are going to trigger the feminists. 🍿
I emailed the recruiter asking for feedback and what i should work on. I told him i got both problems. No response. I won't hear from them for another 1.5 years most likely.
Are you saying your interview is wrapped in 30 minutes? Seems like the interviewer already noticed some red flag and decided to wrap up
Yup - wrapped up in 30 minutes. The red flag must have been a missed edge case? I know my code and algo was 100% correct since I googled the problem right after and its right on leetcode...
Did you ask clarifying questions before starting the code such as - is it case sensitive? - how do we handle a string that has only backspaces - Is o(n) space ok? Or should I fine tune the algo further? - approx how long the strings ? Can it fit in memory? - etc
I did not ask all of these questions upfront. Perhaps i should have done that.
This is crucial for some interviewers. Could have been a contributing factor.
500 LC should do it
I think you need to do some mock interviews. Personally your LC skills are fine. It's just your interviewing skills. This is what people don't really understand. I kinda have the same problem. I am looking into programs like interview.io
Well I rewrote my solution from memory and put it into hacker rank and it’s passing all tests. When you say it doesn’t make sense do you mean that usually these errors aren’t enough to prevent moving forward? The funny thing is that at the end of the interview the interviewer asked if I wanted to know what the next steps were. I said yes and she proceeded to outline the entire process and was talking as if I would make it to the on-site. Very strange.
Could the interviewer have done some research based on my resume? Maybe looked up YouTube likes and didn’t like what she saw? I have some likes on conservative videos
YouTube likes are public aren’t they?
You’re assuming that’s why you failed. There can be many other reason.
such as?
Maybe you are charming like antilay