Just failed FB phone screen. Feels bad. 1st problem was straight from LC top frequency problems, which I solved perfectly. 2nd problem was closer to bottom of the list and I hadn’t quite gotten to it yet, even though I should have figured it out anyways it was so simple. But I chose “sliding window” instead of hash table and therefore was going down the wrong way the whole time. Question for people here, is it ok to ask interviewer to give a hint about the approach? For example if I had said, I am thinking between sliding window and hash table, which one would you prefer, is that too big of a hint? Note I won’t confirm what the problem was but you can use your imagination. I could really use some references as well if anyone has any for mid-senior level SDE. TC: $0 I am ex-Amazon. Been doing “sabbatical” for 2023 but now worried about finding a job.
“I am thinking between sliding window and hash table, which one would you prefer” is definitely asking too much. What you could say is something like “I’m evaluating whether it would make more sense to use x or y and I’m trying to come up with some criteria to help decide” or something. Interviewer will likely help you out if you explain what your thought process is and where it’s getting you stuck
Are both questions fb tagged?
Yes, you can discuss with the interviewer. It's a conversation, but you need to drive it.